Space Cowboy
by Lady Raion
Summary: AU SQUINOA. Criminals, bounty hunters, warring syndicates and corrupt SeeDs... a drama, and a romance, told within the cold expanse of space. DISCONTINUED.
1. Session 1: Song of the Seraph

Summary: Well, here's the deal. This is a FF8, Cowboy Bebop AU crossover. That means, that characters and themes from both are in this fic, but in an AU setting. This is mainly a Squinoa, but also a Spaye, that is, A Spike/Faye romance. You don't have to see the anime to understand this fic, but if you haven't you really should. It's a work of art. I know this is kind of a turn-off for some of you, but please bare with me. I think you'll like it.  
  
Disclaimer: FF8 characters and locations belong to Square Enix, Cowboy Bebop characters and locations belong to Yutaka Nanten, Hajime Yatate, Shinichiro Watanabe, and Sunrise Inc.  
  
Session 1: Song of the Seraph  
  
Scuffed black boots tapped lightly on the gold marble floor, tracking rainwater and dirt in from the streets outside the revolving glass door. The lobby of the building was a huge, open space, with tall white pillars, and a large, extravagant chandelier hanging down from the center of the high ceiling. Sofas and chairs with plush, red velvet cushions dotted the polished white walls, and stone dragon statues guarded the front desk.  
  
The boots stopped in front of one of the statues, as the wearer studied the fierce visage and glittering ruby eyes of the Oriental-styled dragon. At the desk next to it, an older woman typed feverishly at her computer, never pausing from her work even to speak.  
  
"Can I help you, Miss?"  
  
"Yes," a soft voice answered, walking closer to the desk. A pair of warm chocolate orbs studied the woman. She wore silver-rimmed glasses, with golden hair pulled into a tight bun. Lines branched out from the corners of her eyes and lips, and she had a stern, no-nonsense look about her. "I'm here to see Mr. Spiegel."  
  
The woman's hands stilled above her keyboard immediately. "There is no one by that name working here."  
  
The woman in front of her sighed, running a hand through her long, raven locks of silk. "It's okay. I know who he is. I just need to get in to see him. Just tell him Rinoa Heartilly is here to see him."  
  
The receptionist said nothing for a long moment, her mouth tugging downward into a scowl. "Where's your badge?" she asked quietly.  
  
"What badge?"  
  
"Don't play stupid, child. Your SeeD badge. You know, you're not the first young, ambitious agent to wander in here, thinking that you would single-handedly arrest Mr. Spiegel, and become a hero. Well, you've got the wrong place. He doesn't work here."  
  
"So this isn't the Red Dragon Syndicate Head Quarters?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"Of course not."  
  
"Then surely, you'll have no problem with just calling up there and asking anyway. If you have nothing to hide, that is."  
  
The woman smiled, unpleasantly. "You have three seconds to get out of here before I have security-"  
  
At that moment, the elevator doors slid open with a small 'ding' and a tall, lanky figure stepped into the sparkling light of the lobby. "Hey, Margie!" he waved a long arm in the receptionist's direction, before shoving both hands into his pocket, and heading for the door with a calm stride and slightly hunched shoulders.  
  
"M-Mr. Spieg-" Margie squeaked out in shock, before covering her mouth with a thin, wrinkled hand.  
  
"Spike!"  
  
The man turned in the direction of the voice just in time to see a blur of blue and black running at him, before jumping into his arms. He stumbled back a bit, laughing as he caught the young woman. "Rinoa?" he asked, once he'd finally regained his footing. "What are you doing here?"  
  
"Well, that's certainly not the warm welcome I was expecting," Rinoa pouted. "I've come to get a job here." Her attempt at seriousness faltered, and she broke into a joyous grin. "I've finally decided. I'm not going to stay with That Man anymore. I'm going to live my own life. And you're going to help me!"  
  
Spike ran a hand through his wild green hair that seemed to poke out in every direction but down. "I don't know. you shouldn't get involved here."  
  
"Please? I can do it! Just give me a chance!" Rinoa pleaded. "You remember what it was like, don't you? To be locked in your room for hours at a time, to be constantly yelled at, and abused. I can't live that kind of life anymore, Spike."  
  
"I guess the general hasn't changed any," Spike murmured, mostly to himself. "Figures. Well, okay. I'll give you a little test job tonight. If you can pull that off, you're in."  
  
"Thanks!"  
  
He laughed, his two-toned eyes dancing with carefree humor. "Hey, no problem. What else are big brothers for? Now, the first thing you have to know about working for a syndicate. stay away from SeeD, obviously. Oh, and of course. never get involved with bounty hunters."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)  
  
"Eighteen counts of being out after curfew. five counts of causing another student physical harm. twenty-five counts of gambling on premises. three-hundred counts of smoking violations!" Cid pushed his glasses up his nose and blinked. "This student should be expelled!"  
  
"You're probably right, sir," the young, light-haired woman standing next to him replied.  
  
"Then please explain to me, Ms. Trepe, how she became a SeeD?"  
  
"She's quick, strong, and intelligent," Trepe replied. "If she would obey the rules, she'd make the perfect SeeD agent."  
  
"And this one," he said, pointing to a picture of another student. "This one isn't even old enough to be a SeeD!"  
  
"Yes, sir," the woman answered. "Still, despite her age and strange behavior, she is a brilliant hacker."  
  
Finally, Cid moved on to one last file, and studied it closely, squinting his eyes in concentration. "This one seems accident prone. Not very becoming of a SeeD."  
  
"I agree. His only fault, however, is that he tries to hard. I certainly couldn't fail him for that. He gets too nervous sometimes, and just. well, you can see the report for yourself, sir."  
  
"Whatever the case, we can't afford to have any accidents on our next mission."  
  
"That's why I asked to talk to you, sir. You know as well as I, that the process of firing, or expelling SeeD agents is a long, tedious one. We don't have time for it. Our operation goes into affect in less than a month. Therefore, in order to get these three agents out of the way, I thought we could send them on a separate mission. away from here."  
  
He chuckled. "Quistis, dear, whatever mission we might send them on is bound to be a doomed one. I doubt it would keep them away long enough."  
  
"Yes, but if, for some reason, they were to fail this mission, and let's face it, they will, then that would be grounds for immediate termination. without all the paperwork and red tape normally involved."  
  
"In other words, we send them on this impossible mission of yours, wait until the inevitable takes place and they screw up royally, then fire them so we can get on with our own mission without having to worry about these slackers messing things up?"  
  
"Well, when you put it that way." Quistis began.  
  
"I like it," Cid announced. "Let's do it."  
  
On the other side of the thick, oak double doors that led to Cid's office, a beautiful, violet-haired woman sat on the Headmaster's side of the desk, a deck of cards fanned out in her hand. She gazed over the top of her hand to her opponent, a young man with wide eyes, and sweat beads forming on his forehead. He ran a hand nervously through his dark hair as he stared at his own cards.  
  
"This one." he murmured, reaching for a card. "Wait, no! This one!"  
  
The woman across from him shook her head, a cigarette hanging precariously from her ruby lips. "Just go already," she growled, her smooth voice slightly muffled by the stick of nicotine. "I told you, it's just a friendly game. Nothing to lose."  
  
The man bit his lip, before grabbing a card and slapping it down with a worried sigh. The girl studied the card with curious, jade-colored eyes. It was one she had never seen before, and being the card shark that she was, she had seen all of them. On the front of the card was a lovely, pale young woman with dark hair and make-up covering her face. There were two A's, one at the top, and one on the right side, proving that it was a high level card. A spark ran through her eyes as she stared at the card, but decided it would be easier for her if she didn't draw attention to it. Instead she discretely reached up her sleeve, pulling out one of her high level duplicates and replacing it with a low-level beast card that she had drawn because of the random rule.  
  
She slammed down the celebrity level card, taking advantage of the exposed three on his mysterious card. The card turned in her favor. "I win," she said, her lips rising into a grin. "So, as my prize, how about I take this card?"  
  
"No way! That's my best one!" he exclaimed. "You said it was just a friendly game!"  
  
Before anything more could be said between them, Cid and Quistis entered the room. "This isn't the place for cards!" Cid bellowed at them.  
  
"Y-Yes sir!" the dark-haired man squeaked out as he stood to salute. She took this moment while he was distracted to gather up the cards and slip his 'best one' into the inner hem of her sleeve, before handing the rest of his deck back to him.  
  
"Ms. Valentine, how many times do I have to tell you, there is no smoking on grounds? And what the hell are you doing in my chair?" Cid demanded.  
  
Valentine put her cigarette out against the polished wood of his desk, moving to a chair on the other side. "So sorry," she replied apathetically.  
  
Cid turned red in the face, opening his mouth to scream in rage. Quistis' hand on his arm reminded him of their plan, and he calmed down long enough to take a deep breath. "Ms. Valentine, Mr. Tivrusky, Mr. Uh, what was your last name again?"  
  
"Just call me Nida!" Valentine's opponent screeched as he eagerly saluted the headmaster once more.  
  
"Calm down, son. Now where is Mr. Tivrusky?"  
  
Valentine rolled her eyes as a small, thin figure with long, flailing limbs pounced into the seat next to her, nearly causing it to tip over. "Edward's a girl," she corrected.  
  
"Edward is Edward!" the girl exclaimed.  
  
"Right." Cid replied. "Never mind that. Faye Valentine, Edward Tivrusky, Nida. um, Nida. you've all been called here for a mission."  
  
"Itchy, itchy, Edward is itchy!" Ed sang, squirming around in her stiff SeeD uniform.  
  
Cid sighed, shaking his head. "The three of you will be going to Dollet for a covert operation. You will be accompanied by Quistis Trepe, who will oversee this mission."  
  
"What?" Quistis hissed as she turned to her superior.  
  
"If we let them go without any guidance whatsoever, they're likely to destroy the whole city," Cid whispered back. "Anyway," he began again, "You will go to the docks and rent an old fishing boat, something small, that could pass for abandoned, but with enough space for at least three of you to live in. You will park the boat near dock C, which is believed to be under syndicate control. Edward, you will be the team's hacker. Be sure to bring your computer, if you have one."  
  
"Roger!" Ed called, jumping down from her seat and running about the room, arms out straight like the wings of an airplane. "Edward gets to ride a ship! VROOM! VROOM!"  
  
"Quistis and Nida will stay on the ship as supports," Cid continued, trying to ignore the deranged teenager. "Faye. you will attempt to join the Red Dragon Syndicate, and gather information from the inside. All of you be careful, and don't get caught! You leave tomorrow morning," he finished, before heading back into his office.  
  
"You heard the man," Quistis sighed. "Go and get ready. Oh, and Faye."  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"This is a mission. Not a chance for you to steal money. Also." Quistis waited until the room was empty, save for the two of them. "I hear that the head of the syndicate is an awfully charming man. We can't have you falling for the target. Understood?"  
  
Faye rolled her eyes. "The only thing I'm interested in is getting this mission done so I can get paid for it. No man will ever get over on me."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)  
  
Rinoa's grip on the strap of her backpack tightened as she turned the corner and started down the infamous 'Venus Ave.'. Her brother's instructions echoed in her head, as she tried to act as casual as possible.  
  
"This should be easy enough," he had told her. "SeeDs, and cops tend to avoid Venus Avenue. It's a hot spot for syndicate, and gang members, as well as bounty hunters. cops prefer not to head into hostile territory like that. It's a bit more than most of them can handle. Watch yourself, though. Aside from other Red Dragon members, you don't know who you can trust."  
  
"Bounty hunters?" Rinoa repeated.  
  
Spike laughed. "So long as you don't have a bounty on your head, they couldn't care less what you do. I don't suggest stopping to talk with them, though. They aren't always the nicest of people."  
  
No one on this street looked nice, or friendly. They stared at her, knowing that she wasn't like them. Dressing the part was easy; playing the part was another matter. She tried to ignore them, and keep going, her eyes searching the numerous neon signs for the one she'd been instructed to go to.  
  
She finally found herself standing in front of 'Flying Dragon Tattoo and Piercing Studio'. She peered inside the window, noticing that the place seemed mostly empty.  
  
"You should always be careful when dealing with a customer," Spike had said. "But this one is trust worthy enough. He and I have been doing business for quite some time. Just go in, give him the bag, let him check it out, then take the money and leave."  
  
Rinoa took a deep breath as she placed her hand upon the door, her heartbeat thundering uncontrollably in her chest. The instructions were so simple, and yet. the more she thought about what she was doing, the more she saw prison life in her future.  
  
"No turning back now," she murmured, pushing open the glass door, and nearly leaping from her skin when a little bell over the door jingled to signal her arrival. A tall blonde-haired man was standing in the front room, peeling latex gloves from his hands. What really caught her eye, however, was the slightly shorter man standing next to him.  
  
"How long until I can take the bandage off?" he asked, grabbing a white shirt from a sofa and starting to pull it over his head. Rinoa could only stand there in silence, eyes taking in every perfect contour of his muscular chest until it was hidden once more from her eyes. He had shaggy brown hair that fell softly into his face, and what appeared to be a scar on his forehead.  
  
"Not long," the blonde answered. "Just keep checking it."  
  
The brunette nodded his thanks, before both men turned to look at the silent intruder. "Can I help you, Miss?" the blonde grinned, eyeing her.  
  
She bit her lip slightly, heat flooding her cheeks as she struggled to remember what it was she was supposed to say. The tall one watched her carefully, but she hardly noticed. Instead she was painfully aware of the feeling of the brunette's icy blue gaze upon her. "I-I. I was thinking of a. red-eyed angel." she choked out. "A tattoo." she added helpfully.  
  
"I see. Excellent choice. My name is Seifer, by the way," the bigger man announced. He shot a look at his most recent customer, who was now staring at the ground, shaking his head.  
  
"Amateurs," he mumbled.  
  
Seifer broke into a laugh. "Hey, didn't the last bounty head you caught have a tattoo of a red-eyed angel?" he asked of the man.  
  
"B-bounty." Rinoa stammered.  
  
"Yeah, sure did," the other man replied as he grabbed his coat. "A young woman, too. they're always the easiest to catch."  
  
With that he brushed past Rinoa and left, a delightful scent lingering in the air around her, even after he was gone. She took a deep breath, hoping to calm her nerves, before she cautiously approached Seifer.  
  
"So, a red-eyed angel, huh? That's just what I was thinking too," he said, his eyes settling on her navy backpack. She slid it off her shoulder, wordlessly, and handed it to him. He unzipped it and peered inside, a smile crossing his face. "Red eye, and angel dust. Just what I ordered. I'll have some very happy customers, thanks to you."  
  
She just nodded. "The money?"  
  
"Oh, of course, my dear. Follow me."  
  
Hesitantly, she did as she was told following him into a back room filled with packaged needles, ink, and boxes of gloves. He tossed the bag behind a large box toward the back, before wheeling around and pinning Rinoa to the wall.  
  
"Let go of me!" She screamed, struggling and starting to cry at the same time.  
  
He grabbed her by the arms and held her still. "Is that all you got? Too easy," he whispered next to her ear, before placing a short kiss on her cheek. With that, he let her go, and shook his head. "Spike really did send an amateur. That's not like him."  
  
"You. you were just testing me?" she demanded.  
  
Seifer nodded. "Yeah. It was for your own good. First lesson of delivering 'merchandise': never allow your customers to lead you into unknown territory, if you can help it. And, in the event that something does go awry, which will happen often, you should be prepared. Do you even know how to fight?"  
  
"Of course," she shot back in defense. "I've known ever since I was little!"  
  
Seifer just shook his head once more. "You better be extra careful with that pretty face of yours," he warned. "Maybe you should just go find you a decent job somewhere?"  
  
"I can't do that," Rinoa replied quietly. "But I can do this! I have to!"  
  
"Well, you have a long way to go before you master this career. In the mean time, this job's not gonna be kind to you," he told her as he led her back into the front room. He stepped behind the counter, and opened up the cash register, taking out a stack of bills and handing it to her.  
  
"That man that was here." she began hesitantly, attempting to change the topic, and dig for information at the same time. "Who is he?"  
  
"Trust me, someone like you, doesn't want to get involved with him."  
  
"What do you mean, someone like me?"  
  
"Just take your money and hurry back before it gets too dark. Tell Spike I said 'hi' if you get the chance."  
  
Rinoa left without another word, falling into a sulky mood. "No one seems to think I can do this. not even Spike. I'll have to find some way to show them, that I'm not a little girl anymore."  
  
Her feet came to a sudden stop on the sidewalk, and she found herself looking around for a foreign, yet familiar face. "Who was that man?" she wondered aloud. "Why do I feel. like I have to see him again?"  
  
**  
  
See ya space cowboy.  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*) A/N: *cringes* Fireproof suit now?  
  
Next session: Secrets, lies, and a tale of tragedy untold... an enigma, hidden beneath the winter frost. To awake, as if from a dream, and stare into the eyes of a heavenly stranger... reality, or just a deathly fantasy? Session 2: Bounty Hunter Blues 


	2. Session 2: Bounty Hunter Blues

A/N: Wow, I'm so glad you guys liked it! I just knew you wouldn't! Well, thanks for giving it a shot! All previous disclaimers still apply.  
  
Session 2: Bounty Hunter Blues  
  
Lone footsteps echoed through the hall, while elsewhere, food sizzled in a pan, and someone typed furiously upon their keyboard. A door slid open, revealing a completely darkened room.  
  
"It's been a while..."  
  
The light flipped on, revealing a room of cold steel walls and floors. There were two rounded doors, directly across from each other, positioned atop a balcony with stairs leading off to the side, and rusty metal fencing surrounding the balcony. In the middle of the two exits was a small living area with an old, patched and stained yellow couch and a matching chair seated across from it, with a steel coffee table in between.  
  
Upon one of the small, raised platforms stood a dark-haired man, his frosty gaze leveled at a muscular, dark-skinned man across the room. The second man had his wrists tied above his head to the railing of the opposite balcony.  
  
"You're right," he grinned. "It has been a while, Squall."  
  
Squall stared at him for a long moment, before slowly ascending the stairs. "You were part of the inner circle," he said, as he stepped closer to the man. "You could've warned everyone... but instead, you kept silent."  
  
"That's right."  
  
"Seifer was your best friend. Fujin was your own damn flesh and blood. But that didn't matter at all to you."  
  
"Not at all."  
  
Squall nodded and turned to head back the way he came. "I just wanted to hear you say it."  
  
The man behind him laughed. "So, maybe it was destiny, huh? You becoming a bounty hunter, and catching me and all... I guess it must be gratifying."  
  
"It has nothing to do with revenge," Squall replied as the door slid open once more. "It's just business."  
  
Squall left him, traveling down the hallway to the cockpit. As soon as the door opened, the sound of rapid clicking filled his ears. "Zell?" he called from the doorway.  
  
Inside the cockpit a boy with blonde, spiked hair sat with his legs crossed, the over-sized goggles on his eyes hindering the view of the tattoo marked on his face. The room was dark, except for the glow of the computer screen in front of him, and the reflection of it in his goggle lenses. The monitor was on, but only he could see what the computer was actually doing. The monitor was blank.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Are we gonna be there soon? I want this bastard off the ship."  
  
Zell snickered. "I know what you mean. If I have to eat instant ramen noodles one more time..."  
  
"Not him. The bounty."  
  
Zell nodded. "I'm getting permission to land in Dollet as we speak. Is it just me, or is this awfully familiar?"  
  
Squall didn't answer, but shared the same, exasperated sentiment. They had just been in Dollet the day before, when they had to take off and hunt down their bounty, who was hiding on Europa, one of Jupiter's moons.  
  
"Hey guys, come and get it!" a voice called from their kitchen.  
  
Zell stood up with a sigh, pulling the goggles off his head. "We're set to land at dock A in half an hour. Maybe if I'm lucky I'll at least get soba noodles for a change."  
  
"No noodles tonight," their cook answered in a deep, gravely voice when they entered the living area. "Tonight's my specialty. Bell peppers and beef."  
  
Zell's face lit up, and he leaped onto the couch with sparkling eyes. "No more noodles! Why the sudden change?" he asked as he grabbed his plate.  
  
"This bounty's worth a lot. I figured I could afford to splurge."  
  
"You didn't splurge enough, Jet," Squall grumbled as he picked at his plate. "There's no beef in your bell peppers and beef. Just peppers. So you wouldn't really call it bell peppers and beef."  
  
"You do when you're poor," Jet retorted.  
  
"Oh man! Jet, I can't eat just peppers! I swear I'll be sick!" Zell whined. "You gotta give me something else, man! It's just not fair!"  
  
"You'll eat what I give you, free loader!" he growled, glaring at the sixteen-year-old. "You do some actual work around here and we'll talk!"  
  
Squall rubbed his forehead. All the bickering was giving him a headache, and the silent bounty's eyes burning into his back was making him lose his appetite. "I'm not hungry anymore. Come get me when we land." With that said, he sauntered out of the living area and toward his bedroom.  
  
Zell waited until he was gone before swiping up his bowl of beef and bell peppers without the beef. "Great! More for me!"  
  
The bulky-framed, pale man seated across from him rubbed the top of his head, which was completely lacking in hair, except around the back. A short, but wild beard grew down from the sides of his face, and on his chin, and his right eye was marked with a vertical scar, a small strip of metal running along the edge of the socket just beneath it. His left arm was prosthetic, both wounds having come from some kind of accident he didn't like to talk about.  
  
"You know, he's probably gonna want that later," Jet pointed out.  
  
"I know," Zell replied. "Too bad. It's first come, first serve on this ship. Hey. that's the life of a bounty hunter, right?"  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)  
  
"Well, how do I look?"  
  
Quistis, Nida, and Ed turned toward the bathroom, where the voice had come from. There, in the doorway, stood Faye in her street wear. Her violet locks were pushed away from her face with a yellow headband, which matched the vinyl, single-button vest she wore. Her bottom consisted of a short black skirt, which bared a considerable amount of her legs, and she wore a pair of white boots that came up just past her ankles.  
  
"Isn't that a bit much?" Quistis asked as she studied her scantly clad comrade.  
  
Faye shrugged. "It works for me."  
  
"Faye-Faye's so pretty!" Edward squealed from her place in front of her laptop.  
  
Quistis shook her head, before tossing a gold, rounded bracelet to Faye. "There. It's a homing device, so we can keep tabs on you. If you're ever in trouble, press on that little indention. Part of it will slide back and reveal a button you can press to call us. And, as you requested, it matches your anklet."  
  
Faye smiled and slid it onto her wrist, before stretching out her slender arm to admire how it looked. Her matching ankle bracelet rested loosely on the opposite leg, down over her white boot. She absent-mindedly tapped it with her other foot, and inside her pocket, her pair of dice flipped over to reveal a pair of snake eyes.  
  
"So, anyone up for a game of Triple Triad, or dice before I leave?" she asked with a tiny smirk.  
  
"This is a mission, not a casino," Quistis reprimanded. "Now get going. You have an appointment to be interviewed by the Red Dragon Syndicate. Setting up this interview cost us a pretty penny to Frank."  
  
"Who's Frank-person?" Ed questioned.  
  
"He sells us information sometimes. Or in this case, a good word to the head of the syndicate. His loyalty goes to the highest bidder, however. If his paycheck goes up next week, he'll be a devout member of the syndicate once again, sworn to secrecy. We can't afford to wait around for another opportunity like this, and if you're late, Mr. Spiegel will dismiss you all together. Understood?"  
  
"Mr. Spiegel?"  
  
"The head of the syndicate, Valentine. Didn't you go over the information I gave you? Oh, just get out of here. You're running out of time."  
  
"Whatever you say, Quisty," Faye replied as she exited the small boat and climbed up onto the dock.  
  
"My name is Quistis!" her leader shouted in exasperation. "This mission is doomed. Well, Edward, keep an eye on her. Nida, go out and gather information. I want to know what's going on at this dock, and all surrounding docks, understood?"  
  
"Yes ma'am!" he saluted, sweat rolling down his forehead as he rushed out the door.  
  
Quistis shook her head, taking a sip of coffee from her "#1 SeeD" mug. "It's falling apart already," she whispered to herself. "All according to plan."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)  
  
Rinoa chewed her lip nervously, peeking in through the small crack in the door. The room she saw inside was painted dark red, and had only one long, oak table in the center. A fireplace crackled with life on one wall, while the same, oriental-style dragon statues that had been in the lobby sat on either side of it. Members of the syndicate, ranging from young to old, were seated at the table, with Spike at the head, his back turned to the flames.  
  
It amazed her how serious her normally laid-back brother could be at times like this. His jaw was set, his mouth pulled into a straight, thin line upon his face. The orange glow of the fire danced in his chocolate colored eye, while his darker prosthetic one seemed to be cast in shadow, giving him an eerie look.  
  
"Everyone," Spike began, loud enough for her to hear. "There's a new member I'd like you all to meet."  
  
Rinoa took a deep breath and straightened the short, silk blue dress she wore. It was a shade just lighter than navy, and strapless as well. She wore a short black jacket over her arms, and tall boots on her slender legs. She wanted to look nice for her first appearance to the other syndicate members, without looking too snobby.  
  
"Please welcome my sister, Rinoa Heartilly."  
  
Rinoa pushed open the thick, arched double doors and entered the room, her boots clicking on the polished marble floor. "Hello everyone," she said quietly, bowing slightly before the table. She was met only with silence and cold stares.  
  
Spike growled a little, prompting a few mumbled hellos. Rinoa bowed once more before leaving the room, and waiting in the hall outside it. She noticed her fingers were shaking and her blood was burning with embarrassment.  
  
A few moments later, Spike stepped out into the hall with her, carrying something behind his back. "They'll get used to you. Don't worry about it."  
  
"They probably resent me for being the leader's little sister," she replied.  
  
He shrugged. "Who cares about them? They're just a bunch of hard asses anyway. If I hadn't promised the former leaders that I would uphold tradition, I'd have gotten rid of them a long time ago. Anyway, you can't just laze around all day, young lady. I've got a new job for you."  
  
Rinoa shook her head. "I'm not going back to Venus."  
  
"Yeah, so drug runs aren't really your thing. I got that. But, you've always been a good judge of character. I figured I'd put that to use. Today, you'll be interviewing a woman that wants to join the syndicate. Just talk to her, get a feel for the kind of person she is, and tell me what you think. That's all."  
  
"Sounds easy enough," Rinoa considered. "Now, what are you hiding behind your back?"  
  
Spike grinned. "Something behind my back? There's nothing for you."  
  
"Spike!" she whined, trying to reach behind his back. Being the martial arts expert that he was, he was much too fast for her.  
  
He dodged her several times before finally bringing his hands out in front of him, chuckling. "I'll give you this now, but only if you promise to work on your speed." With that said, he revealed a simple, black- handled dagger with a dragon engraved on the blade. It even came with a scabbard and strap. "You remember how to use one, right?"  
  
"Yeah, you taught me yourself, remember?"  
  
Spike nodded and placed the weapon in her hand. "Keep it with you today. Someone in the syndicate put in a good word for this applicant, but you can never be to sure. And whatever you do, don't freeze."  
  
"Yeah, yeah, I got it. So, when do I meet her?"  
  
"Margie will show her up to my office once she gets here, which better be soon. I'll talk to her a little, then you'll take her out for a walk or something."  
  
"Got it," she replied. "What do I do until then?"  
  
"Come with me. We'll wait for her in my office."  
  
Rinoa followed Spike down the hallway, and past the room where the Red Dragon's inner circle met. At the end of the hall was another set of double doors, with dragons carved into the rich, mahogany wood. Spike pushed the doors aside, revealing a large, spacious office with a huge window looking out over the skyline of the city.  
  
"Nice," Rinoa commented, gazing around. The floor was the same white marble as in the hallway, but a thick Persian rug decorated the middle of the room. Atop the rug sat Spike's desk, with a red-cushioned, Victorian- style chair behind it. Two black leather chairs were positioned it front of it, facing the desk. Spike's chair sat with its back to the window, and plush, red velvet curtains were gathered at the sides, waiting to be drawn.  
  
Spike laughed. "I hate this place. It's so stuffy."  
  
A beep from the top of Spike's desk interrupted to the two. "Mr. Spiegel, your interview is here."  
  
"Send her up," he replied curtly, before turning to the window and drawing the curtains. The room instantly went dark, and he stumbled around for a moment until he found the switch to turn on the red glass sconces one either side of the window. They came to light with a faint, haunting glow, casting the room in a dim, hellish sort of light.  
  
"What's with all this?"  
  
Spike sat back in his chair, his form completely swallowed within the large frame. "Intimidation. You want to see how well a new applicant endures under pressure."  
  
Rinoa leaned casually against the desk, and both kept their eyes on the door. After a few moments of silence had passed, the doors were pushed open, and Margie's usual scowl was revealed. Behind her a tall, slender figure appeared, sporting a small smirk and a pair of sunglasses.  
  
"Come in!" Spike ordered, his voice echoing slightly.  
  
The figure that could only be described as a woman stepped in, and Margie closed the doors behind her. The light upon her made it seem as if her entire body were blushing, and the devil-may-care smile delicately twisting her lips gave her an impish look. "Hi," she greeted in a smooth, mischievous voice.  
  
From her point of view, she could see only the silhouette of a tall, winged chair, with the tips of what must have been the syndicate leader's unruly hair poking up at the top. Through the shadows she could see a single, dark eye glaring at her from across the room. "Your name?"  
  
Her smile grew, and she tried to suppress the small shiver in her spine when she heard his low, sexy voice. "Faye Maximoto," she lied flawlessly.  
  
"Why do you want to join the syndicate?"  
  
"Quick cash, of course."  
  
She couldn't see it in the darkness, but Spike's smile grew at her display of boldness. "What do you think you could possibly have to offer us?"  
  
"I'm great at cards," she answered with a tone of humor in her voice.  
  
"Triple Triad? Do you cheat?"  
  
"Yes, Triple Triad is my specialty," she replied, crossing her arms over her chest. "Cheat? A lady such as myself would never cheat."  
  
"That's all Ms. Maximoto. Thank you. If you would now go with my associate, she's going to take a walk with you, maybe ask you a couple questions. Is that alright with you?"  
  
Faye shrugged. "Sure, I need a smoke anyway."  
  
Spike pulled his own pack from his pocket and handed one to Rinoa, as well as his lighter. "You can bum one from me."  
  
Rinoa crossed the room and handed her the cigarette, which Faye placed between her lips without hesitation. Rinoa lit the tip of the cigarette for her, before tossing the lighter back to Spike.  
  
"You two can go now. Walk about the city in any place that you wish."  
  
Rinoa and Faye wordlessly exited the room and took the elevator down to the lobby. Back in his office, Spike leaned back in his chair and laughed. A beautiful, and interesting woman, who seemed to have her wits about her... That was certainly a change from the usual type that applied for membership. As his mind reflected on the short skirt she wore, he suddenly remembered something important he should've told the girls. He ran to the elevator as fast as he could, tapping his foot in impatient as it made its slow descent.  
  
"You can go anywhere but the-" Spike had begun as soon as the doors slid open. One quick glance around the lobby revealed that it was empty, save for Margie. "Docks..." he finished in a mumble of frustration.  
  
Already out of the building, and halfway down the street, Rinoa turned her head to study Faye in the sunlight. "How 'bout a walk around the docks," she suggested. She'd heard it was really peaceful, and she'd yet to be able to visit.  
  
Faye shrugged. "Sure. But dock C is closed for construction I think," she lied again. "We'll have to go to another one."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)  
  
"Are you sure?" Quistis demanded as she stared Nida down.  
  
"Y-yes ma'am. F-fairly certain," he stuttered, shying away from his leaders sharp, almost accusing gaze.  
  
"Great," Quistis growled. "So we were wrong in our assumption. Dock C is clean. Dock A is hiding syndicate members. If we move now, it will look suspicious." Quistis turned to the younger SeeD behind her, who sat cross-legged on the cold steel floor with large goggles strapped to her fluffy red head. "Ed, where is Faye now? Please tell me she's at least made it to the syndicate building."  
  
"Faye-Faye has left the building!" the small girl announced. "Faye- Faye appears to be headed in this direction."  
  
"Oh no. That can only me that she messed up the interview," Quistis groaned.  
  
"I don't know, Quisty-Wisty!" Ed replied. "Faye-Faye's going to Dock A. Dock, smock, lock. Edward's hungry!"  
  
"Dock A!" Quistis exclaimed, ignoring Ed's other comments. She turned to Nida once more. "But isn't that where..."  
  
"D-do you think the syndicate is trying to o-off her?" he squeaked.  
  
"Edward will save Faye-Faye!" Ed yelled, jumping to her feet. "Don't worry Nida-person, and Quisty-Wisty!"  
  
With that the hyper SeeD exited the boat and went loping off on all fours in the direction of the other docks. "Edward Wong Hau Pepilu Tivrusky the fourth to the rescue!"  
  
"S-should we go after them?"  
  
Quistis shook her head. "It's far too late for damage control."  
  
Over in dock A, a small boat sat off to itself, bobbing several yards away from the other ships. Painted on the side was a bright yellow butterfly, the sunny color joining with the sparkling blue of the ocean for a cheerful, sunny tone about the ship. Inside, bunches of wires and switches were strewn across the floor while a petite girl with dark, gravity-defying hair sat in the middle, singing along to the song on her headphones as she worked tirelessly at the mechanisms around her.  
  
"Train, take us away!" she screeched, more than a little off key. "Far away, into the future. so I can blow it to smithereens!" she laughed at her substitute of lyrics.  
  
On the pier, Rinoa and Faye stood, looking out at the seemingly endless ocean. "What made you decide to turn to a life of crime, anyway?" Rinoa was asking.  
  
"It's the only thing I've ever known," Faye replied. "What about you? You seem way too nice to be in this business."  
  
"It was either crime, or tyranny," Rinoa answered. "My father was... not a nice man. So I joined the syndicate to escape."  
  
"Evil-Syndicate-Person-Lady!" came a shout from atop a pile of crates. They both looked up to see a little girl standing there, hunched over with her fingers pushed out and her teeth bared like an animal. "I'll save you, Faye-Faye!"  
  
With that she jumped down from the crates and ran at Faye, colliding into her with the full force of her body weight and momentum. Faye was knocked back, off the pier, her back hitting against the side of an old warehouse. Ed fell flat on her face in the spot where Faye had been.  
  
Further down the main pier of dock A, a large, rusty ship with the word 'Bebop' painted on the side in sloppy red letters was parked. Inside, in the living room, Jet and Zell were finishing off their meals before heading off to turn the bounty in. The entire ship seemed to rumble and shake, suddenly, and it titled widely to one side. The two found themselves in a pile on the floor, while the railing the bounty was tied to snapped, and he made for the exit.  
  
Squall came running into the living room moments later, having been thrown off his bed from the tilting. "What the hell's going on?" he demanded of the tangled mess of limbs and bell peppers on the floor.  
  
"I don't know," Jet shouted in reply. "Raijin's getting away. Get after him!  
  
Squall nodded and ran for the exit, soon coming to the top deck of the ship. He studied the area, seeing that one of the piers was completely gone, and pieces of it were adrift in the water. His eyes caught on something blue, and flailing, and for a moment he thought Raijin had jumped into the water, only to find he couldn't swim. A laugh from the main pier alerted him to Raijin's true whereabouts. He was running for the city. Squall realized then that the person in the water was actually a drowning woman.  
  
His gaze shifted from the drowning woman to the retreating Raijin several times before he finally jumped into the water, muttering a curse as he did.  
  
On the main pier Faye ran around, panicked. She couldn't swim, and it appeared that neither could Rinoa. In fact, she couldn't even see Rinoa anymore. Faye called for help several times, only to realize that she was alone.  
  
"Shit! What am I gonna do? They're gonna think I was responsible for this!" Faye cried. "I have to do something, I have to try and explain!" she rambled to herself before taking off for the dock exit, screaming all the way there.  
  
Squall gently carried the unconscious woman back to the Bebop, laying her out on the deck and checking for a pulse. It was there, but faint, and she was no longer breathing. He opened her mouth, briefly realizing that it was the same woman he'd seen at Seifer's before lowering his mouth to hers. After several moments of CPR, Rinoa coughed up the water she'd been choking on, her eyes slowly fluttering open.  
  
She looked up to find herself staring into a pair of frosty sapphire eyes. She realized a man was hovering over her, water from his hair gently dripping onto her face. She smiled slightly as she took in his features. The same man she'd seen the day before, only this time, he wore a tight white T-shirt, the water soaked through causing it to cling to his body.  
  
"Hi," she whispered gently.  
  
He stood up. "You cost me my bounty," he growled, then held up something in his hands. "I take it this belongs to you... Ms. Dragon."  
  
"What?" she asked groggily as her eyes focused on her dragon-engraved dagger. It had been strapped around her leg, beneath her skirt, but her skirt had probably ridden up, revealing the weapon.  
  
As she was sitting up, a red-tipped bullet jumped up the side of the ship and shot itself at her. "Evil-Syndicate-Lady-Person!"  
  
Rinoa let loose a squeal as she felt the child's teeth puncture both her jacket and her shoulder.  
  
"A Red Dragon Syndicate member that caused me to lose my bounty," Squall considered. "I only saw you yesterday and already you've caused me more trouble than anyone else I've met. Don't think you're going anywhere anytime soon. Not until I get some answers."  
  
Inside the boat with the yellow butterfly, a pair of emerald eyes peeked out through the window at the debris floating on the water. "Oopsies... a little too close to the pier."  
  
**  
  
See you space cowboy...  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)  
  
Next session: "He glared at me with such disgust I thought for certain he would kill me then, and there. Yet, he only continued to sit and stare. I would give anything right now, just to know what goes on behind those eyes. I'm a captive to a mighty lion, and I'm the dragon he despises." Next Session: Red Dragon Jazz 


	3. Session 3: Red Dragon Jazz

A/N: Well, this isn't my most successful fic so far, but you know what? I'm having a lot of fun writing it, so oh well..  
  
Session 3: Red Dragon Jazz  
  
"I didn't do it, I swear!"  
  
Margie looked up from her computer, a single eyebrow arched as she stared at the sudden intruder. "Where is Ms. Heartilly?" she asked, giving a death glare through her thick bifocals.  
  
"It's... it wasn't my fault. We were just walking along the dock, and suddenly, the thing just blew up! I screamed... and I screamed for help... But I can't swim, see?" Faye gasped as she leaned against the front desk. "I couldn't find anyone to help, and Rinoa... she..."  
  
Margie's eyes widened, and she pressed a button on her desk. "Mr. Spiegel, Rinoa's missing!"  
  
It seemed as if it took only a mere second for Spike to come shooting out of the elevator, and skidding to a stop on the slick floor. "What?" He turned to Faye and demanded, "What did you do to her?"  
  
"I don't know what happened, we were just walking on the docks, and-"  
  
"Dock A?" he interrupted.  
  
Faye nodded. "She fell in the water. I can't swim. I ran all the way here, and I tried to help, really, I-" she was interrupted once more as Spike ran for a set of double doors next to the elevator. "Hey, where are you going?" she asked, following him.  
  
"I'm going to get my sister!" he yelled back.  
  
As Faye looked around she realized they were in a hanger. Dozens of small, personal-sized ships were parked in the dimly lit area. She followed him to a large, almost antique model painted red with a needle- like point at the front.  
  
"This is what you ride in?" she questioned as he opened up the top and jumped in.  
  
"There's nothing wrong with my Swordfish. Just because she's a little old..."  
  
"Whatever, just scoot over! I'm coming with you!"  
  
"Hey! This is a one person ship!" Spike growled as Faye squeezed into the seat next to him. "This isn't gonna work, your ass is too big!"  
  
"What!" Faye screeched, a small vein popping out on her forehead.  
  
"Forget it! There's no time," he barked out as the glass top slid closed. "Just shut up and don't touch anything!"  
  
"You know, I didn't have anything to do with this," Faye explained.  
  
"I know," he replied, watching the hanger door open. "Dock A was where an accomplice of mine was testing out some explosives. I meant to tell the two of you to steer clear of that place before you left, but by the time I thought of it, you were already gone."  
  
"I see. So... do I get the job?"  
  
The only answer she received, as the Swordfish lifted into the air, was a two-toned death glare.  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)  
  
"You know, this is highly uncomfortable. What are you, anyway, some kind of freak?"  
  
Artic colored eyes stared wordlessly at the whining girl, making her squirm in discomfort. Her damp hair fell in tangles over her shoulders, and she wore an over-sized black T-shirt and boxers. A white bandage was wrapped over her shoulder, a few spots of red seeping through from where the crazy little girl's teeth had broken the skin. Her slender wrists were handcuffed above her head, the chain looped over a steel pipe.  
  
"At least I let you sit down," he growled at last. "The last bounty had to stand up from Europa all the way here. You know, that bounty that you made me lose."  
  
Rinoa leaned her head back against the wall and crossed her legs. The steel bar hung over her head, above a cold metal bench where she sat. "Sorry, sorry. Look, I'll pay you the price for the bounty out of my own pocket if you'll just let me go."  
  
He shook his head. "What were you doing wandering around the docks with a hidden weapon? It sounds too convenient to me."  
  
She shrugged, causing herself to wince as a sharp pain stabbed through her bitten shoulder. "Can't a girl be prepared? Dollet isn't the safest town for a helpless woman to be wandering in."  
  
He shook his head, causing his shaggy brown locks to fall gently into his face. "I don't trust Red Dragon members."  
  
"How did you... I mean... I'm not..."  
  
"The dragon engraved on your dagger," he answered. "It's the Red Dragon's emblem."  
  
"Oh that," she laughed nervously. "I ripped that off of some guy I found on the street yesterday."  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
Rinoa rolled her eyes. "As if I'd tell you."  
  
He reached into her soggy jacket, which was hung over the coffee table to dry, and produced a small wallet with a pink cartoon cat on the front. He reached inside and searched for her I.D.  
  
"Hey! Get out of my stuff."  
  
"Rinoa Heartilly," he read. "I'll have to-"  
  
"Edward will search it!" a voice sang from the floor. The little girl that had followed Rinoa onto the ship had passed out there, as if it were the most natural place to sleep. Edward popped open the laptop sitting on the table, and pulled the goggles over her head. She pushed her feet off the table, until she was balanced on her hands, and swung her legs over so that her toes were touching the keyboard. "Rinoa Heartilly..." she mumbled as she typed furiously with her toes. "Ichi, ni, san, shi... Edward found hits three... Rinoa Heartilly, Julia Heartilly-Caraway, Rinoa Caraway."  
  
"Look up Rinoa Heartilly," Squall instructed.  
  
"Restricted, restricted!" Ed announced. "Edward will fix this!" She pounded the keys with her big toes, her tongue poking out of her mouth as she grimaced in concentration. "Welcome to the Red Dragon Syndicate," Edward read. "Rinoa Heartilly... recent syndicate member. No previous criminal record, no qualifications... Black hair, brown eyes... Wanna hear more?"  
  
"You actually broke into the Red Dragon site?" Squall asked. "Damn... that's a lot better than Zell could ever do. Now look up Rinoa Caraway, just in case."  
  
With a few taps of her feet, Ed began to red again. "Rinoa Caraway, parents Julia Caraway, and General W. Caraway of the Galbadian army of Mars. She has black hair, brown eyes..."  
  
"That's enough, thanks," Squall said.  
  
"Wait, wait! Rinoa Caraway is currently missing. General may offer a reward for her recovery in the near future."  
  
"I see," Squall said, turning to face Rinoa. "The general's little girl ran away and joined a syndicate. Now she ends up on a ship full of bounty hunters, just as he father is about to offer up some gil for her return. Sounds like fate..."  
  
"No!" Rinoa cried. "You can't take me back to that man! You don't understand, he was-"  
  
"I don't care," Squall cut her off.  
  
At that moment, Jet stepped into the living room, shaking his head. "Couldn't find a single trace of him. He's long gone now."  
  
"That's alright," Squall replied. "This girl's the general's daughter. She ran away, so the general's thinking of offering up a reward for her return. General Caraway is loaded... the pay off should be pretty good."  
  
Jet laughed. "Well, alright then! Guess somebody was looking out for us today. Maybe we'll have Peking Duck for dinner next week, instead of bell peppers and beef."  
  
"Duck-duck!" Edward sang, pulling her goggles off and flailing around as if she hadn't a single bone in her body. "Edward would like duck!"  
  
"Who's the boy?" Jet asked.  
  
"No idea. He just jumped aboard after I pulled the girl out of the water."  
  
"Hey! I have a name you know!" Rinoa shouted.  
  
Squall sighed in exasperation. "Anyway, I have no idea who he is. But he's a better hacker than Zell ever was. He even got into the Red Dragon site."  
  
"Edward is Edward!"  
  
"Well, we can't just turn the kid out on the streets, you know," Jet pointed out. Edward pounced on Jet's leg and hugged it tightly. "Hey, don't you have any parents?" he asked.  
  
Edward blinked up at him with wide, golden eyes. "Parents? Edward doesn't remember any parent-persons."  
  
Jet sighed, placing a hand on his hip. "We can't let him go it alone, Squall."  
  
"Edward is Edward!"  
  
"I think Edward's trying to say that he's actually a girl," Rinoa pointed out.  
  
Ed nodded her head vigorously. "Evil-Syndicate-Lady-Person is right!"  
  
"Whatever," Squall snapped. "We can't have some kid running around here. She may be a good hacker, but it'll be another mouth to feed, and she'll only get in the way."  
  
Jet looked back down at Ed, who was still clinging tightly to his leg. His mouth pulled into a frown, and he stared back up at Squall. "Well tough! This is my ship, and I say she stays! You got a problem with it, you can just leave!"  
  
Squall held up his hands in defeat. "Alright, fine. It's none of my business, anyway. Now, get ready. We're leaving for Callisto in a few minutes. Zell said he found a new bounty that's supposed to be hiding out there. It's not much, but it should be an easy catch."  
  
Jet nodded. "Good. Now, how does ramen sound for dinner?"  
  
"Hey!" Rinoa called. "I'm hungry too, you know."  
  
Squall slapped his forehead, a disgusted sigh escaping his lips. "I think I'm gonna be sick."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)  
  
"Nothing..." Spike grumbled, jumping down from the cockpit of the Swordfish and stretching his limbs. "She must be..."  
  
"Did she have a communicator on her?" Faye asked, jumping down next to him.  
  
"Come to think of it, I gave her one yesterday. She should've taken it with her."  
  
"Well, can't you track her from that?"  
  
Spike nodded. "You know, I think I can."  
  
He took off for the lobby once more, Faye following close on his heels. Spike ran to the front desk, resting his long arms on the smooth surface, and asking Margie to search a specific communicator number.  
  
"Well, the signal is weak, but it appears to be heading for Jupiter," Margie replied. "I can't get through to make a call. It might be damaged, perhaps from the water. Other than that, it appears to be just fine."  
  
"What is she doing on a ship to Jupiter?" Spike wondered.  
  
"Details," Faye dismissed with a wave of her hand. "The fact is she's alive. Someone must've pulled her out of the water."  
  
"Yeah," Spike sighed. "At least she's okay for now. Margie, get my best hackers to try and track that communicator and find out what ship it's on. If they find out, have them get into the ship's system and stop it immediately."  
  
"Yes, sir!"  
  
"Hey, what about me," Faye called as Spike headed for the elevator.  
  
He stared at her long and hard for a moment. "You said you were good at cards?"  
  
Faye smiled. "One of the best."  
  
He motioned for her to follow him into the elevator, then said, "I'm pretty good with cards, too. How about we play each other? If you win, I just might give you the job."  
  
Faye could only smile. Of course she would win. Her new outfit was sleeveless, but she had stuffed her spare cards in the collar of her vest, and the tops of her boots. It was a little bit more difficult than the old sleeve trick, but she was a master of distraction. It would all work to her favor.  
  
They entered his office, which was now filled with fading sunlight from the window. He sat down in his seat once more, prompting her to sit across from him. They both pulled their decks from their pockets and stared at each other.  
  
"One round, random, standard trade," Spike proposed. "Lady's first, of course."  
  
"Deal," Faye answered as she skillfully shuffled her deck and picked five from the top. Spike followed suit, and waited for Faye to put down her card. In her hand she held mostly low-level beast cards from Venus. The best thing she had was a government level card from Mars, bearing the picture of a current politician. It wasn't much, but she would have to start off with it. She slapped down the card in the corner, its weaker sides shielded. While he studied his own hand, Faye crossed her legs, bringing one of her boots closer to her hands. She lowered her cards until they were almost below the table, then skillfully slipped her worst one out and replaced it with the card she'd stolen from Nida.  
  
"A Vinzer Deling card, huh?" Spike said finally. "I'm afraid I don't have much to counter it with."  
  
He slapped down a Venus beast card in the other corner, much to her delight. The card had three weak spots, meaning that one was left exposed even when it was placed in the corner. Not feeling the need to use her cheat card just yet, she slapped down another card and easily turned his in her favor. Spike nodded and counter with a stronger beast card, turning hers in his favor.  
  
(Not so fast, my handsome dragon) Faye laughed to herself as she placed her mystery card down, taking control of the game once more. Just as she was congratulating herself, she noticed the frown form on his face as he studied the card she'd put down. Feeling slightly panicky, she switched out another card with one hidden in her collar, passing it off as a casual flip of her short violet tresses.  
  
"A forbidden syndicate level card?" Spike said finally.  
  
She quietly rejoiced at his words. The syndicate level was just one level away from the highest. The government had banned the making and trading of the syndicate level cards, so they were very rare, and thus, very valuable.  
  
"Oh, is it?" Faye replied nonchalantly. "Won it off some guy on the street."  
  
Spike's only response was to frown deeper, before placing a card on the opposite side of the board.  
  
(Great. Somehow I've managed to piss him off. I guess the only thing I can do is keep trying to win.)  
  
She put down her favorite card, a celebrity level card with her favorite singer painted on the front, and over took a couple of his unturned cards. The darkness in Spike's eyes seemed to lighten, and a flicker of a smile played on his thin lips.  
  
"Julia Heartilly," he mused, scrutinizing the card in admiration.  
  
Faye nodded. "She's always been my favorite singer."  
  
His smile grew as he placed another useless card onto his desk. Faye countered with her last card, not causing any damage. That was fine, she'd already won the game.  
  
"Well, looks like you are as good as you say, Ms. Maximoto."  
  
"You're not so bad yourself," she laughed as she randomly took one of his cards. "Well?"  
  
Spike watched her gather her cards, paying close attention to her syndicate and celebrity cards. One deeply disturbed him, while the other reminded him of better days. He knew she'd cheated the whole time. Her movements had been smooth and fast, but he had a sharp eye for those things. Despite that, he decided he'd let her in. After all, she had said that his beloved mother was her favorite singer.  
  
"Alright, Ms. Maximoto. You've got the job."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)  
  
A beeping sound roused Ed from her deep slumber of the floor. The room around her was completely dark, save for the glow of the computer screen, which sat in front of her. Jet had told her she could have the spare room, and had given her the laptop to keep her entertained.  
  
She studied the screen with groggy eyes, and noticed what appeared to be an animated red dragon swimming up onto the screen and rummaging through the files on the desktop. "Hackers..." she mumbled in a sleepy voice, and tapped a few keys with sluggish fingers, before falling over backward and starting to snore.  
  
In the Red Dragon building in Dollet, inside of a brightly lit room, a man sat in front of a computer; one hand typing vigorously while the other gripped a large mug of coffee. As he stared with wide, blood shot eyes at the screen, a little smiley face popped up and briefly glanced around his computer files. He blinked, thinking he had imagined it, when suddenly his entire screen was filled with the face. The screen was yellow, and the eyes were thin black lines curved upward in a sign of great happiness. A huge, toothy grin covered more than half of its face, and rosy little circles marked what would've been its cheeks. A few taps on his keyboard revealed that his computer had frozen up.  
  
All around him were several rows of people working on computers. One by one, the screen froze on the smiley face image, until the power shut down. Every computer in the entire building had been frozen.  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)  
  
Rinoa tossed and turned several times, before finally settling in a new position with a tired huff. The yellow couch must have been ancient, and wasn't very comfortable. Still, it was better than having to sleep on the cold metal bench. She pulled the blanket she'd been given up to her chin, and rubbed her wrists, which were still sore from the handcuffs.  
  
"I'm so tired," she had said earlier that night. "Sleeping like this is gonna be hell."  
  
At the time, Jet had been sitting there, watching some kind of bounty hunter program called 'Big Shot' on the computer. He stood, heaving a sigh and said, "Well, the hanger is locked for the night, and we're in the middle of space, so I guess it couldn't hurt to let you loose."  
  
He'd let her free of the handcuffs and instructed her to sleep on the couch for the night. He'd even been nice enough to bring her a blanket and a pillow to make her more comfortable. Now she lay there, staring into the endless expanse of stars as they moved slowly past the ship. Rinoa had rarely ever been into space. She could vaguely recall going to Venus with her father and brother when she was five years old. It was shortly after her mother died, and her father was leaving the two of them with her aunt.  
  
Her lips curved into a small smile as she thought about the miserable months she and Spike had spent on her Aunt's farm. At the time, everything in their life seemed wretched. The grief over their mother, the numerous chores, the sweltering heat, and the constant fear of monster attacks put a bit of a damper on their summer. Her eyelids grew heavy as she remembered nine-year-old Spike kicking at things and cursing the heat, his short, neatly cut green hair lying flat against his head. Even then he was a tall, gangly little boy. This image, however, was replaced in her mind as she drifted off to sleep, by a short, dark-haired little boy that she didn't remember ever seeing.  
  
She was suddenly brought to a rude awakening as she heard something clatter to the floor down the hall. She sat up on the couch, wiping the sleep from her eyes and debating whether she should bother getting up or not. A muttered curse sent her to her feet, and she wobbled down the hall on unsteady legs until she reached the open bathroom door.  
  
He stood with his back turned to her, wearing only a pair of black drawstring pants. He was pulling at a large bandage on his back, the medical tape pulling painfully at his skin. When he finally pulled the whole thing off, Rinoa couldn't help but gasp. He swung around and scowled at her immediately.  
  
"What the hell are you doing free?"  
  
"Jet let me free," she answered quietly. "It's not like I can go anywhere, and making sleeping on that bench with my hands cuffed over my head would be cruel."  
  
"Whatever," he replied, before turning his head so that he could see his back in the mirror. "Now, could you please leave so I can put my bandage back on in peace?"  
  
"You're not going to put the same one back on, are you?" she asked, noticing the traces of blood on the gauze he pulled off. Upon seeing his cold glare, she shook her head. "That's not sanitary. You need to put a new one on."  
  
"I can't put a new one on by myself," he growled.  
  
"Then let me help you."  
  
"Like hell," Squall spat. "I don't trust you."  
  
"So you'd rather face infection?" she demanded. "Or get one of the others to help you? Hmm... I wonder if they know you're a syndicate member?"  
  
Squall clenched his teeth together, and leveled his burning gaze at her. "Are you trying to black mail me?"  
  
Rinoa tilted her head to the side, smiling gently. "Yes, but only because I'm concerned for your health, you asshole."  
  
"Whatever," he grumbled, handing her a new gauze and surgical tape.  
  
"Don't you have something to put on it?" Rinoa asked. "You should have some kind of anti-biotic ointment to put on it."  
  
"How would you know?" he asked, handing her a small tube of generic anti-biotic.  
  
She giggled lightly, and tugged his arm, pulling him toward the darkened living room. "It'll be more comfortable in here. And I would know because I have a tattoo also. You know, it's one of those stupid things you do in high school. You get a tattoo where no one can see it so they'll think you're cool, but since they can't see it and you don't want to show it to them, they think you're lying. It's nothing big like yours is, though."  
  
As she pushed him down on the floor and sat on the couch behind him he couldn't help but wonder where exactly she'd gotten her tattoo. He shook the perverted thoughts from his mind and replied, "No, I wouldn't know about stupid high school things."  
  
She placed a small bit of the ointment on the tip of her index finger and slowly began to rub it into the black ink-marked skin of his back. "Well, it's sort of like getting a tattoo of an emblem of a syndicate that disbanded three years ago."  
  
"I didn't get it just yesterday. I was getting it touched up. I already had it."  
  
"I see. You were a member of the Black Lion syndicate, until it disbanded," she concluded as she studied the figure of the black lion across his shoulder blades. "That's why you took an immediate disliking to me. The Red Dragon syndicate and the Black Lion syndicate were arch rivals."  
  
He nodded his head, trying not to relax beneath the gentle kneading of her fingers. "That was a lifetime ago."  
  
"Yet you still hold a grudge?" she asked, then bit her lip at the feel of his muscles rippling beneath his skin.  
  
"Old habits die hard."  
  
She placed the large strip of gauze across his back and quickly taped it up. "I think it's more than that," she whispered as she allowed her fingers to glide over his skin until they reached his shoulders. "You're awfully tense," she murmured and began to delicately massage his neck. His eyes fluttered closed and a soft sigh escaped his throat against his will. "I think you're having trouble letting go of the past," she continued.  
  
He stood up suddenly, her words breaking through his dream-like state and causing him to plummet back to reality. "It's none of your damn business!" he hissed. "If you're hoping you'll get to know me and I'll feel sorry for you and let you go, save your breath. As soon as your father offers up that reward, you're going back home. That's just where a little girl like you belongs, so stay the hell out of my life!"  
  
The sound of the door sliding closed behind him was soft, almost inaudible, yet still it echoed in her brain. He was just another person to add to her list of people that didn't believe in her... so why did it hurt so much? Tears rolled out from beneath her thick black lashes, and she looked out over the cold void of space. Soon they would land on Jupiter. How much longer would it be, she wondered, until she was a prisoner of her father once more?  
  
**  
  
See you space cowboy...  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*) A/N: I don't like the word ointment. It makes me think of rashes. But that's what my Neosporin tube said, so... To explain a little bit about the card game, it's just like Triple Triad but with government, celebrity, syndicate, and hero levels, instead of numbers. The beasts wander on Venus, but not the other places.  
  
Next Session: "If loneliness were a place, this would be it. The buildings stand in ruins, like the crumbled towers of dreams, and the people here wander aimlessly, like ghosts of a forsaken past. It's said that everyone loses something of themselves here, in this place untouched by the rest of the solar system. I've already lost my bounty. What more is left?" Session 4: Callisto Melody 


	4. Session 4: Callisto Melody

A/N: Someone wanted to know why I say 'See you space cowboy' at the end of every chapter. For those of you that have never seen the anime, every episode said that or something like it at the end of every episode. I thought it was cool, so I did it, too.  
  
Chapter 4: Callisto Melody  
  
Quistis laid her head back against the cushion on the couch, trying to relax against it, despite it hardness. Her eyelids fluttered halfway closed as she stretched out, and heaved a sigh. "Any word yet?"  
  
"No," Nida responded for the millionth time since Faye and Ed had disappeared. He yawned and tried to focus on the computer screen through blurry eyes. "Wait... Wait, I think I have something!" he exclaimed.  
  
"Hey, you guys there?" Faye's voice filled the boat suddenly.  
  
"Valentine!" Quistis began sharply. "Where the hell have you been? Where's Ed?"  
  
"She's not with you?" Faye asked. "I... I don't know if she made it, guys. There was this explosion... Ed pushed me off the pier just before it happened. I went back over the area with Spike to-"  
  
"Spike?" Quistis interrupted. "You're on a first name bases with the syndicate leader?"  
  
"I made it in, Quisty," she sighed. "He's friendly with all new applicants. Anyway, I went with him afterwards to search the wreckage for the syndicate member he'd sent with me, and I didn't see a single trace of either one of them. We think we've tracked his sister to a ship on Jupiter. Ed might be with her, but it's highly doubtful."  
  
Silence filled the room for a long moment before Quistis finally said, "Well, I guess until further notice, Ms. Tivrusky is M.I.A. If she doesn't show up soon... We'll have to count her as dead."  
  
"If I hear anything else, I'll contact you," Faye replied in a disheartened voice.  
  
"I'll be waiting," Quistis replied. Once she was sure the connection was cut, she collapsed back onto the couch and shut her eyes tightly. "It wasn't supposed to happen this way," she whispered to herself. "Distract them for awhile, get them terminated from SeeD... they weren't supposed to die."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)  
  
Before him lay a long wooden table, covered in a lacy white cloth. There was one, cushioned chair at the head of the table, seeming to call his name. Upon the table, beautiful gold sculptures and statuettes stood proudly, glittering in the dim candlelight. The most important thing, however, was what was placed around them. More food than he had ever seen at any one time in his life was spread out all across the table, meant for him, and him alone. There was Peking duck, and sesame chicken, roast turkey, and enough gravy to fill a tub. He sat down at his chair and was digging in, when suddenly, a golden monkey appeared before him, and threw a cup of instant ramen in his face.  
  
Jet slowly cracked open an eye, his vision catching on what appeared to be fire through his sleep distorted eyes. Something wet dripped onto his face, and he opened the other eye with a groan.  
  
"Jet-person is awake!" Edward exclaimed through a mouthful of noodles. In one of her hands she held a whole cup of them, and each time she slurped them up, noodle juice went flying everywhere.  
  
"Edward," Jet mumbled to the girl sitting happily on his chest. "What do you call yourself doing?"  
  
"Waking you up," Ed answered innocently. "Squall-person told me to ask you what you did with the girl."  
  
"What the hell is he talkin' about?"  
  
"She's gone Jet," an angry voice spoke from the doorway. "Did you let her out?"  
  
"And lose our money?" Jet asked, sitting up as best as he could with Ed on him. "Why would I do that?"  
  
"Well, you uncuffed her last night. I though maybe you were starting to feel sympathetic."  
  
"Are we at Callisto yet?"  
  
"Yeah. We were set to arrive at eight. I was awake by then, and she was already long gone. If you didn't let her go, that means... We must've landed earlier than we were supposed to."  
  
"You'd better go get her, Squall. You've been to Callisto before, haven't you? Not only is it freezin' ass cold, but there's no such thing as law and order down there. A woman like her wouldn't last long."  
  
"I'm beginning to think she's more trouble than she's worth," Squall grumbled. "You go get the bounty, then. I'll go get that pain in the ass girl."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)  
  
She wrapped her arms tightly around herself, wishing she could somehow shield her legs from the biting winds instead. She had changed back into her mostly dry dress, finding nothing else that fit her, and taken her wallet and dagger back, along with Squall's fur-collared jacket. She was hoping that if maybe she took his defense against the cold, he wouldn't come after her.  
  
Escaping to the city of Callisto was perhaps not the best idea. Most of the building lay in shambles, and everything was covered beneath a thick layer of snow. The streets seemed abandoned, as if no one had really ever lived there at all. It made her stomach twist in knots just thinking about it. Something was desperately wrong with this place.  
  
As she wandered aimlessly, having no clue where to go, she heard the shuffling of footsteps in the alley on her left. She broke into a run, only to be tackled to the ground by an unseen opponent.  
  
A strong hand grabbed her roughly by the arm and jerked her around, so that she was facing him. She squeezed her eyes closed, hoping that maybe if she didn't look, she wouldn't have to face reality. Just a moment earlier Squall was the last person she wanted to see, but now she prayed that he was the one that had captured her.  
  
"Look at me!" a gruff voice demanded from above her. She knew instantly that it wasn't Squall, and so she whimpered and tried to wiggle away. A fist colliding forcefully with her face put an end to her struggles. "I said look at me!"  
  
She forced her eyes to open, and was met with a pair of bulging, blood shot eyes. The man's face was crusted with dirt, and his chin was covered in stubble. His mouth was open in a sadistic grin, baring yellow, half-rotted teeth and the heavy scent of alcohol on his breath. Dark, greasy hair fell in his face as his hand grabbed for the top of her dress and tore it open. This prompted her to scream once more, and kick at him. She managed to turn herself around in his grasp and stand before breaking into a run.  
  
Just as she was certain she was home free, his hand locked around her ankle, and she stumbled, scraping her knee painfully on the pavement where the snow had been brushed away. He wrapped his arms around her from behind, trying to force her to the ground once more while one of his hands ran up her thigh. She cursed herself inwardly for being so forgetful, and pulled her dagger, which was strapped to her other thigh. In one swift movement she turned and slashed at his face.  
  
She struggled to her feet once more and ran, looking back only once to see the man on his knees, blood pouring from his face and staining the pure white powder on the ground.  
  
She finally stopped outside of a small, brick building with a cracked sign hanging over the door, stating simply 'Bar' in large black letters. She leaned a hand against the side, gasping for breath and wiping at the tears that were falling slowly down her face. She looked down, noticing that her black strapless bra was revealed by the rip in the top, and zipped Squall's jacket up to cover it. When she had finally composed herself, she opened the door and stepped inside, relaxing slightly at the fact that it was full of people, and warm. She sat down on a stool at the bar, grabbing a napkin to place against her bleeding knee and looking at the bartender with weary eyes.  
  
"I'll just have some hot chocolate."  
  
He laughed. "Sure thing little girl."  
  
Rinoa sighed deeply, closing her eyes as she did. She had protected herself today, for the most part. So why was she still shaking in fear? Why didn't she feel any better about herself?  
  
She noticed then, that the bar had gotten awfully quiet. She turned around to study the crowd inside, and realized that every person in there was a man, and they were all staring at her. She clutched the mug of hot chocolate the bartender sat in front of her, and tried her best to disappear into the shadows of the room.  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)(*)  
  
Spike strode out of the stairwell, his hands rested behind his head as he yawned. "Hey, Margie," he greeted. "What's wrong with the power?"  
  
"All the computers in the building have frozen. That ship your sister's on must have a brilliant hacker aboard."  
  
"So, what are they doin' about it?"  
  
"They're working diligently to correct the problem, sir. Before the shutdown, however, they did manage to find Ms. Maximoto's criminal files. I have them right here if you'd like to look at them."  
  
Spike reached over and took the files with an appreciative nod to Margie. He flipped through the files, his eyes scanning the pages of data his hacker team had collected. "Convicted of burglary, resisting arrest, and scamming, suspected of murder, and grand theft auto. Sounds like my kinda woman," he laughed and studied her mug shot. She had a bored look in her eyes, and a lop-sided frown.  
  
"What's going on? Why are all the lights out?" Faye asked as she entered the building.  
  
"Technical difficulties," Spike replied, then turned the file in his hands so that she could see it. "Love the mug shot."  
  
Faye laughed, silently rejoicing that Ed was able to plant the information before her disappearance. "It was a bad day," she shrugged. "Woke up with a head ache, out of coffee, hair a mess... and of course getting arrested didn't help much."  
  
Spike tossed the folder back onto Margie desk, and beckoned for Faye to follow him up the stairwell. "I've got a job for you," he said, once they were climbing the stairs.  
  
"Oh really? What will I be doing?"  
  
"Teach me all those fancy little card tricks of yours," he replied. "I'm meeting with the head of the Phoenix syndicate for a Triple Triad game, and I wanna know how to get over on him."  
  
"Oh, I wouldn't know anything about that stuff."  
  
"Nice try. I know you cheated on the game yesterday. But you were good at it. That's why I hired you. Most people don't have sharp eyes like I do, so most people wouldn't be able to a catch you."  
  
"Oh, that," Faye laughed. "Well, there's more to it than just quick hand work, you know. Rare cards are extremely hard to come by. So obviously, when you do get one, you don't want to risk losing it in a game. Still, rare cards are the key to winning the game. So what would you do?"  
  
"Oh, I've heard of this before. A lot of artists make a living by creating duplicates of rare cards."  
  
"Exactly. You can even learn to make you own. And of course, most people can't tell a duplicate from an original, so you can make good money that way. I'll teach you how to tell an original from a fake as soon as we reach your office."  
  
They had finally come to the door, and Spike stepped in front of her and tried to open it. It wouldn't budge. "Dammit... must be that stupid back-up security lock! I guess we gotta go back to the lobby."  
  
The two rushed down the stairs to the lobby door, only to find that it too, was locked. They banged on the heavy steal door and screamed for Margie to let them out, but no one ever came.  
  
"You think Margie's ignoring us?" Faye asked as she sat down on the bottom step.  
  
"No, these doors are just sound proof. We're stuck in here until the computers come back on."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)(*)(*)(*)  
  
The only way out of the city was to hitchhike. At least, that's what the bartender had told her, with a small chuckle. Rinoa had stumbled out of the bar, feeling weaker with every passing moment. The frosty air attacked her legs once more, and she slowly came to a stop, leaning against the wall of a building and sliding to the ground. She curled up in a ball, trying to capture all the warmth she could, and her shoulders began to shake with silent sobs. She was certain she would die there.  
  
Through the haze of sorrow clouding her mind, she could vaguely make out the sound of boots treading through the snow. She tried to sink into the wall, and prayed that she wouldn't be seen. The person, however, kneeled in front of her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. She glanced up long enough to see the ocean-colored eyes staring at her, before she stood and made one last attempt to run. Before he could chase after her, her legs gave out and she stumbled to the snow-covered street.  
  
He knelt beside her once more and gently placed a gloved hand on her chin, guiding her eyes to meet his. "What happened?" he asked softly as he studied her.  
  
Her mascara ran in thin black streams down her face, and her left cheek was swollen, and had turned a nasty bluish-purple. He noticed the large scrape on her knee and carefully touched it. "You're freezing," he commented. "What happened to you?"  
  
She shuddered at the touch of his warm hands, and the comforting sound of his voice. She didn't want to admit that she was glad to see the very man she had run from, but she couldn't help the relief that flooded her body. "I was... and this man, he... and I just..."  
  
"It's okay," Squall replied quietly. He didn't need to hear anymore to understand what she was trying to say. While he was searching for her throughout the town, he kept cursing her in his mind, and anticipating the moment he found her just so he could tell her how utterly stupid she was. He decided now that it could wait. He slid his bulky black winter coat from his shoulders and laid it over her body before picking her up in his arms.  
  
"Won't you get cold?" she asked groggily as she snuggled closer to his chest.  
  
"I'll be fine," he answered. "Let's just get you back to the ship."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)(*)  
  
"There's a tiny circle on the upper right corner. You can only tell if it's there by feeling for it. If you can feel that circle in the corner, then it's an original card. Otherwise it's a dud. See?"  
  
Spike nodded. "I get it. And most of yours are duds?"  
  
"The ones that I play," she replied. "No one ever taught you this stuff before?"  
  
He shook his head. "I'm usually to busy to play cards, or to learn how to play."  
  
"With that sharp eye of yours, you'd be great at it," she complimented. A slight frown tugged at her mouth, and she chewed nervously on her bottom lip. "By the way, since I've shared my secrets with you... I've been wondering for a while now... why are your eyes two different shades?"  
  
He looked up at her, surprised that she would ask such a personal question. In the years that he had been a syndicate leader, none of the people he'd ever met had dared to ask him that. "An accident," he replied curtly. "I had to have a fake one put in, and they couldn't find one that matched exactly."  
  
"I see. What kind of accident?" she pressed.  
  
"The kind of painful, twisted mess that only a woman can get you into."  
  
"Oh, an old lover," she retorted, as if in understanding. "What did she gouge your eye out or something?"  
  
"No... Just my heart," he mumbled, so low that she couldn't hear it.  
  
"Hmm? What was that?"  
  
"Nothing," Spike sighed. "Look, I'd really rather not talk about it. It's in the past now."  
  
Faye leaned her elbows on her knees and stretched forward so she could see his eyes better in the darkness. "You know, when I look into your eyes for too long, I get a funny feeling... Maybe it's the color. Or maybe it's something else?"  
  
He glared at her sharply. "Look, I hired you on a professional bases, not because I needed a friend to chat with."  
  
"Hmph! Well, if that's how you want it," she spat, standing up. "Just because some bitch dumped you isn't a reason to get all touchy."  
  
"She isn't a bitch!" Spike shouted, he too standing up. "And she didn't dump me! You wouldn't understand."  
  
"Yeah, you're right, I don't understand. Men are such sentimental babies. She dumped you, and probably laughs her ass off every time she thinks about how she had you wrapped around her finger. And here you are, still carrying a flame for your old sweet heart, acting like Mr. Heroic and defending her name. You don't get it, do you? It was just a game! You made too much out of it, so she dumped you!"  
  
"You're fooling yourself if you think every woman is as heartless as you are! You obviously have something wrong with you, damn shrew!"  
  
"Lunkhead!" she yelled back. "You're just living in a fantasy! It's really disgusting."  
  
The door suddenly opened, and Margie stood, staring at them with an arched eyebrow. "How long have you two been stuck in here?"  
  
Spike ignored her and turned his scowl back to Faye. "Get the fuck out of my sight, bitch!"  
  
"Fine!" Faye screamed back and stomped out of the stairwell.  
  
Spike turned and slammed his fist into the wall, creating a small dent. "Margie, terminate her file. Ms. Maximoto is out of here."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)(*)  
  
Squall laid Rinoa down on the couch, and turned to Zell. "Bring me some extra blankets."  
  
Zell nodded and went off to do as he was asked, leaving Squall to look after the sleeping girl. He picked up the anti-bacterial lotion she had used on his back the night before and carefully applied some to her knee, before gingerly touching her swollen cheek. She needed some ice on it to make it go down, but as cold as she already was, he didn't want to make it worse. Zell came in and laid a pile of blankets over the back of the couch.  
  
"Jet's coming in with the bounty," he said. "I'm gonna go open the hanger for him."  
  
Squall nodded to him, then unzipped his favorite jacket that Rinoa had stolen. His eyes feel on the tear in her dress, and he felt a mixture of anger, embarrassment and desire twist in his stomach. How anyone could try and defile such a sweet, and innocent girl (no matter how much of a pain in the ass she was) was beyond him, and he could feel his cheeks turning red at the sight before him. Still, there was a tiny part of him that enjoyed the view, and reflected on how beautiful she really was. He would never take advantage of her, of course, but still, the sight of her exposed flesh was tempting.  
  
He tossed his jacket aside and quickly covered her up with the blankets, pulling them all the way up to her chin. She turned on her side and curled up, reaching out for his hand and grasping it tightly in her sleep. His cheeks reddened even more, if that were possible, just as Jet came walking through the door with the newest bounty.  
  
"That's the bitch!" the man yelled, struggling against his restraints. "That's the bitch that cut me up!"  
  
Jet looked to Squall. "I found Rinoa's dagger lying on the ground near him."  
  
Squall quickly stood up, gently loosing Rinoa's grip on his hand. He strode over to the ranting man and quickly silenced him with a swift punch to the face.  
  
"Fuck!" the man exclaimed, blood rolling down his face for the second time that day. "That's where that bitch cut me! Don't hit me there!"  
  
Squall delivered another blow to the man's gut, causing him to fall to his knees. "You deserve it," he stated simply.  
  
The man managed to laugh through his pain. "Oh, I'm sorry. Is that your girl? She was the first woman I'd seen in Callisto for over a year. Probably the prettiest I've ever seen. It was a dumb thing, lettin' her wander out on her own. She must be a great piece of ass, though."  
  
This time, Squall kicked at his face, making sure that he hit the gash Rinoa had made. The man nearly howled in pain, but Squall still didn't feel satisfied. He went to kick him again when Jet held a hand out to stop him.  
  
"We need this guy alive to collect the bounty," he reasoned. "I agree he's scum, but we need the money."  
  
"Fine!" Squall growled, turning away from them. "Lock him up in the storage room or something, then. Rinoa doesn't need to know that he was ever here."  
  
From his place at the doorway, Zell couldn't help but laugh. "You finally called her by her name, huh? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were getting soft on us. I guess you lost more than her in Callisto, eh?"  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
Zell shrugged. "They say everybody loses something in Callisto. You lost Rinoa. Then, you got her back. So, I think you lost something else."  
  
"And that would be?"  
  
"A piece of that wall you built around your heart."  
  
Squall stared at Zell for a long moment before saying, "You're full of shit, Dincht. I don't give a damn about her. But what kind of guy would I be if I let her attempted rapist sit around in the same room as her?"  
  
"Ah, so it's just chivalry, then? No feelings whatsoever?"  
  
"Not at all. I'll be glad when we're rid of the bitch."  
  
Squall was about to go sit down in the chair across from the couch when someone delivered a weak, but still painful kick to his leg. He turned to find Rinoa staring up at him with glittering brown eyes. "Call me a bitch one more time," she began in a hoarse voice, "and I'll kiss you."  
  
"What?" Squall and Zell asked in unison.  
  
She sniffled for a moment, before her body was wracked with a sneezing fit. "My head hurts, my throat's sore, my lungs are sore and I'm more tired than I've ever been in my life. Call me a bitch one more time, and I'll make sure you get to share in my misery."  
  
Zell cocked his head to the side in thought. "Well, for a kiss from you, it might be worth it."  
  
"Zell," Squall warned. As he realized what he had done, he felt his face heat up again. "We can't afford to have more people on this ship sick," he tried to cover. "She's gonna be a big enough pain in the ass as it is."  
  
"That's it!" Rinoa exclaimed. "You're going down."  
  
She grabbed onto his arm, and with all the strength she had left, she pulled Squall down onto the couch with her and pounced on him like a lioness to her prey. She joined their lips for a brief moment before pulling away and smirking at the wide-eyed boy next to her. "Now you get to be miserable, too."  
  
Squall only blinked, stood up, and silently exited the room. Zell watched him leave, then turned to Rinoa and said, "Wow, Rinoa. I think you just gave him his first kiss."  
  
"No way," she laughed gently, only to see that Zell wasn't smiling. "Are you serious? Well... if I had known that... I would have made it longer..."  
  
Rinoa burrowed beneath her blankets and rested her head on the pillow, smiling to herself. Inwardly she promised that as soon as she was well, she'd give him the most mind-blowing kiss he could ever imagine. And not just for him, either... She giggled slightly as she felt herself flush. She was hopelessly drawn to the mighty lion.  
  
**  
  
See you space cowboy...  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)(*) A/N: Sorry if things seemed to be moving too fast. They still have a long road ahead of them, trust me.  
  
Next session: Love, the ultimate paradox. To crave someone so much that you feel it within your soul, and to despise that same person so greatly that it dominates you every thought. Is it love, or infatuation, destiny or convenience? The mind games we play are the definitive tests. Next session: Cat and Mouse Tango 


	5. Session 5: Cat and Mouse Tango

A/N: I hate this chapter name, but it was the first thing to come to me while typing up the preview on the last chapter... bare with me, the chapter will be good at least.  
  
Session 5: Cat and Mouse Tango  
  
Faye Valentine sat in the window of the hotel room she'd rented, sunlight illuminating her figure and the swirls of gray smoke that rested gently on the still air. Her emerald eyes searched the street below, before rising to study the skyline of Dollet, where she could see the top of the Red Dragon building. She'd been so stupid to think that she could make a friend out of Spike Spiegel so quickly, and now, she had already failed her mission.  
  
She had been seething with rage when she left the night before, but of course, that didn't stop her from going back that morning. She had stepped into the building with a polite little smile plastered on her face, only to have Margie stop her in the lobby.  
  
"I'm sorry, Ms. Maximoto. You no longer have permission to enter this building," she'd said.  
  
"What the hell does that mean? How am I suppose to work for the syndicate if I can't get into the building?"  
  
"That's just it, my dear. Mr. Spiegel requested that your file be terminated. You no longer have a job here."  
  
Faye had turned and left then, in somewhat of a daze. How could she have failed so soon? With every step she took towards the hotel, she cursed Spike. He seemed so deceptively calm, apathetic, as if nothing in the world could ever truly bother him. But she had chosen the one, forbidden subject to harp on, one of the few things that tested his patients. She silently cursed the bitch that had left him, as well. Were it not for her, this would never have happened.  
  
In her hand, she held her communicator, running her thumbs over the smooth surface as she wondered whether or not she should contact Quistis. SeeD protocol stated that as soon as a mission was failed, the leader of the operation should be contacted. She couldn't bring herself to do it, though. Not yet.  
  
She tossed the small, hand-held device onto her bed before crushing her cigarette out on the nightstand. At a time like this, there was only one thing she could do to clear her mind and calm her nerves. Gamble.  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)(*)(*)  
  
A large, pale hand shot out and slid one of the tiles forward, challenging his opponent. His plastic arm was leaned against the steel table, and a pair of long limbs was slung over his shoulders. Atop his head, he felt a light pressure as the almost inhuman creature rested her arms and peeked over his head with curious eyes.  
  
"What did you do that for, Jet-person? You should've..."  
  
"Alright, Edward. I said you could watch, but you can't help. It wouldn't be fair."  
  
"You need all the help you can get," his adversary replied, before countering Jet's move. "I've been playing this game since I was a boy."  
  
"You're still a boy, as far as I'm concerned," Jet retorted, only to be met with a pair of annoyed, winter-colored eyes. "Besides, you maybe be good at Shogi, but it seems to me you're awfully inexperienced when it comes to women."  
  
"What the hell's that supposed to mean?"  
  
Jet grinned. "Zell told me all about you and Rinoa yesterday. Seems you got a soft-spot for her, Squall."  
  
"Whatever," he grumbled, staring down at the Japanese-marked tiles. "Just move."  
  
Edward giggled. "Squall-person's blushing!"  
  
"Remind me again why we let that kid stay?" Squall demanded.  
  
"Because she has no where else to go."  
  
""Yeah, well, at least she pulls her weight around here. That girl's been here for three days and all she's done is lie around and complain. If Caraway doesn't offer up that reward money soon, I say we dump her off at Deling City and forget we ever knew her."  
  
"She's starting to get to you, huh?"  
  
Squall slammed his fists down on the table. "Forget it! Just make your damn move already!"  
  
Jet put his hand to his chin in thought. "I don't know. This is a tough one. Might take me awhile. It's all about getting into your opponent's head, you know, and you're one hell of a complicated person to be so young."  
  
"Fine, then. While you're thinking, I'm gonna go take a shower."  
  
Squall stood and headed down the hall, stopping briefly at his room to grab some clean clothes. He was just pulling his shirt off when he walked through the bathroom door and tossed the article of clothing to the tiled floor. His eyes slowly trailed up from the floor to the bathtub, where a long, slender leg was hanging over the side. Rinoa had her hair in a messy pile atop her head, and was calmly reading one of his "Sword Collector's Monthly" magazines. Her dark eyes lifted from the glossy pages and eyed him for a long moment before she let out a scream.  
  
"You pervert!" she screeched, scrambling in the water for something to throw.  
  
When his eyes caught sight of exposed flesh peeking through the white foam, his brain kicked into gear and he finally headed for the door, dodging flying objects the whole way. He finally made it out, only to be conked in the head with a bottle of conditioner before the door closed.  
  
He made it into his room and pulled a shirt on before anyone noticed his tattoo, then flopped across his bed in frustration. "Damn girl," he growled to himself. "Can't even take a shower anymore without getting hit with something."  
  
A moment later, Rinoa walked into his room, as if it were her own, clad only in a fluffy white towel. She jerked open his closet doors and began sorting through his clothes.  
  
"What the fuck do you call yourself doing?" he demanded.  
  
"Between the salt water and the snow, my dress is ruined," she explained, without turning to look at him. "Not to mention, it had a huge rip down the front. Do you want me walking around like that? Wait, don't answer that question, pervert. You should take me shopping today, since we'll be landing at Balamb soon."  
  
"What makes you think, after trying to get me sick, and hitting me in the head with a shampoo bottle, that I would take you anywhere?"  
  
She pulled out an old black shirt with a logo for some heavy metal band across the top. "Well, look at it this way. Jet is huge, so of course his clothes are way too big for me. Zell is shorter, but he's also wider, so his clothes don't fit either. You, on the other hand, are taller than him, but leaner, so you're clothes are too big, but overall, they fit the best. If you don't take me shopping to buy some clothes of my own, I'll keep having to borrow yours."  
  
"No way! Ask Jet to take you since he seems to like you so much!"  
  
Rinoa grabbed a pair of dark blue jeans and tucked the clothes beneath her arm. "Jet is a gentlemen, unlike you. Still, I need you to take me shopping. I think Jet is busy with a bounty today."  
  
"Well, I'm busy too, so just forget it."  
  
The corners of her lips twitched into a smile. "Fine then. But you'll be sorry."  
  
She left that threat to hang in the air as she exited his room with his clothes in her possession. Squall groaned to himself and wondered what kind of torture he was in for now.  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)(*)(*)(*)  
  
Spike stared at the pearl-handled revolver on his desk. It had been a gift from the leader of the Phoenix syndicate, a prize for winning the Triple Triad game.  
  
"Guess I couldn't have done it without her help," he murmured.  
  
Their angry words were still ringing in his head. Why, of all subjects she could bring up, did it have to be that one? They could have talked about anything else, and he wouldn't have cared. But of course, it had to be that dark tale of his past, the long forgotten chapter in his life that only two other people on the earth, and one in the realms of heaven knew about.  
  
Spike picked up the antique pistol and spun the barrel until it clicked. He briefly entertained the idea of Russian roulette, but decided he'd rather go to a casino to take risks instead. Pressing a button on his phone, he said, "Hey, Margie, get the limo ready, please. I'm in the mood for some gambling."  
  
"Not headed for the Grand Casino space station this time?" she asked.  
  
"Nah," he replied. "I wanna go to that one on the edge of town."  
  
"It's kind of a run-down place, sir. Are you sure?"  
  
He smiled to himself as a memory of his past lifetime returned to him. "Yeah. I'm completely sure."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)(*)(*)(*)  
  
"Hit me."  
  
Spike leaned on his elbow at the green felt-covered table, watching as the woman in front of him placed another card down on top of his.  
  
"Nineteen," she announced, straightening her crimson skirt and matching vest. She peeked at him through her eyelashes, her pink lips smiling flirtatiously.  
  
"Stay."  
  
She flipped over the next card from the deck, revealing a two. "Oh, tough luck," she replied. "Tell you what. How about another hand, my treat?"  
  
The glass door at the front of the small, brick building opened and shut, sounding off a small bell on the top. A tall, slender man with shoulder-length white hair strode in, a blonde beauty hanging on his arm.  
  
"Sorry," Spike told the dealer. "Maybe next time."  
  
He stood from his stool and approached the bar where the man and the woman now sat. "Vicious," he greeted the man with a nod. "Long time no see. Who's this lovely lady?"  
  
The woman next to him turned and smiled, despite the wistful, melancholy look in her sky-colored eyes. "My name is Julia," she said in a soft voice, and offered him a delicate hand. "It's nice to finally meet you, Spike. Vicious has told me so much about you."  
  
"All bad, of course," Vicious added in a dry, humorless tone. His voice was deep, and dark, the kind that seemed to rise from the depths of hell itself.  
  
Spike shook his head and laughed, silently admiring the way her long golden hair glimmered in the dim, smoky light. "You finally got a break from things, huh? I heard Edea's been working you hard."  
  
Vicious nodded. "Yes, well, she found a new puppet to do her dirty work for her. I'm just the mastermind behind it all."  
  
A beep sounded from the pocket of Vicious' trench coat. "There's the little pawn now. Tirelessly toiling away at Edea's bidding, no doubt. I have to take this. I'll be back in a moment."  
  
Vicious walked toward the men's bathroom to answer the call, leaving Spike and Julia to themselves.  
  
Julia ordered herself a glass of wine, then turned to her attentive companion. "So, you're part of the Red Dragon's inner circle? Never thought I'd get the chance to meet you."  
  
Spike shrugged. "It's no big deal, really. Just where life landed me."  
  
She smiled. "Ah, yes, fate. It landed me on the arm of a man colder than ice."  
  
"He's not so bad, once you get to know him," he found himself saying. "He and I have been buddies since we were kids."  
  
"Really? You two seem like complete opposites." She glanced over at a vacant pool table. "Do you play?"  
  
"I'm an expert," he gloated. "How about we make this interesting? If you win..." Spike paused for a moment. "If you win, I'll buy you as many drinks as you want. But if I win, and I know I will, I get to..."  
  
"Yes?" she pressed.  
  
Spike struggled with himself, as his eyes traveled the woman before him. He felt like he'd been visited by an angel. Still, she was Vicious' girl, and he and Vicious had always been loyal to each other. He weighed the options for a few moments, before coming to the conclusion that Vicious wouldn't care, as he was never serious about any of his girlfriends. "If I win, I get a kiss."  
  
A faint smiled played on Julia's lips. "Alright, you have a deal."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)(*)(*)(*)  
  
It was suspiciously quiet. Jet had gone to take care of the bounty, and Zell had taken Edward to go pick up some food. It was just him and that she-devil that called herself Rinoa.  
  
(Beautiful, seductive, and completely evil) he thought. (Yeah, she definitely qualifies as a devil to me.)  
  
What happened next only reinforced his idea that she was some kind of unearthly demon. It was all perfectly timed, as if it had happened by fate.  
  
He stepped into the living area, vaguely making note of the sound of the hanger doors opening. He was more distracted, however, by Rinoa, who lay innocently on the couch, mumbling in a deep slumber.  
  
Shrugging to himself, Squall started to pass the sofa, but halted as he heard Rinoa shift and moan a little. "Mmm... Squall..."  
  
His eyes went wide, and his body refused to move anymore. She was... dreaming about him? She rolled over again, and the sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears, before she let out a soft sigh. "Yes... Feels so good, Squall..."  
  
He snuck around the front of the couch, and looked down on the sleeping woman. She had a small, amused smile on her lips, and her cheeks were flushed, though from embarrassment or excitement, he couldn't tell.  
  
In a panic, he shook her arm roughly. "Rinoa, wake up!"  
  
She rolled onto her back and cried out his name again, her smile growing even wider. It hit him then, that she wasn't asleep at all.  
  
"What do you want from me?" he demanded in whispered hiss.  
  
"More..." she murmured and nearly burst out into giggles.  
  
The footsteps were just outside the door now. "Rinoa, dammit, this isn't funny! What do you want? If this is about the shopping thing, then fine, I'll take you shopping, just cut it out!"  
  
Rinoa sat up and yawned then, stretching her limbs just as the door slid open. She turned and looked to find Jet standing in the doorway, a bound man in his grip. Jet's gaze jumped from Rinoa, who was still flushing, with her hair a mess and clothes wrinkled, to Squall, who was leaned slightly over her with a blush of his own.  
  
"Uh... Vacate, you two," he ordered, as soon as he'd regained his composure. "The bounty's slightly wounded, and I'll have to treat him in here."  
  
Wordlessly, the two stood up and left, Squall heading toward his room and Rinoa following behind him. Once they were inside, she plopped down on his bed and gazed up at him shyly. "Sorry. I didn't want to have to do that, but I needed some way to get you to take me shopping."  
  
He shook his head. "Whatever. It just reinforces my belief that you're a spoiled, immature bitch."  
  
He'd expected her to get mad, and threaten, or shout at him like she'd done before. Instead, she just lowered her gaze to the floor in shame, pouting slightly. "So that's what you really think of me?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
She pulled her knees to her chest and hugged them close to her, giving her the appearance of an insecure child. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I guess it seemed kinda funny at the time. I shouldn't have, though. I guess, I've imposed a lot on you, haven't I? I owe you my life really, and all I do is..."  
  
Squall arched an eyebrow, skeptical of the way she'd gone from happy and giggling to apologetic and sulky. "Are you trying to guilt me?"  
  
She gazed up at him with glassy eyes, her lips quivering slightly. "Why would I have to? I already got you to agree to take me."  
  
"Then what the hell's your problem now?"  
  
"I really am immature," she muttered. "This was all just a game, you know? Getting back at you, going around in a circle. It was fun, but I guess... I really am just a little girl." She glanced up at him again, and had to bite her tongue to keep from adding, 'a little girl with a crush.'  
  
He sighed deeply. "Look, it doesn't matter. You're going back to your father soon, anyway."  
  
She closed her eyes for a moment, then stood up. "I don't care how many times I have to run away, or how far. You're not going to take me back there, and that's final! Maybe I am just a stupid little girl to you, but I'm not going to give up!"  
  
He clenched his teeth. "And I'm not going to keep saving your ass every time you get in trouble. Don't you get it by now? You don't have what it takes to make it on your own. Everywhere you go, you'll end up just like you did in Callisto."  
  
Rinoa just stared up at him, tears threatening to run down over her cheeks. She wanted so badly to be strong, but how could she? How could she hold in her tears when he was standing there, calmly repeating everything her father had tried to beat into her? She turned to walk out his door when his hand shot out and gently grabbed her wrist.  
  
"Go get ready. If you're not ready to leave in ten minutes, I'm not taking you," he sighed.  
  
A tiny smile curved her lips. "Thanks Squall."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)(*)(*)(*)  
  
Faye swirled the golden liquid around the glass, the ice rattling with every movement of her wrist. It promised release, if only temporary, from the pains of the dreary world in which they all existed, and it was oh, so tempting to dive in, and never look back on what was. All she had to do was tilt the glass back, and allow the bitter concoction to slide down her throat, her skin prickling and her lungs burning at the touch of the acidic fluid.  
  
She pushed the glass away from her with a groan. Anymore and she was certain she'd puke. "Here's to you, Mr. Spiegel," she murmured, resting her head in her arms. "May you rot in the black, bottomless pits of your own hellish soul." Faye giggled to herself, thinking how poetic she sounded.  
  
"Spike, my boy! Where ya been?" a loud voice boomed from behind the bar.  
  
Groggily, she turned her head and peered through blurry eyes at the doorway. She squinted against the light shining in, and peeked through her violet locks until her eyes fell upon a tall, gangly figure.  
  
"Been busy, Jim. You know that. How's Annie?"  
  
Faye resisted the urge to groan again. There was no mistaking that deep, confident voice. Instead, she turned her gaze to the scuffed wooden surface beneath her and tried to pretend she wasn't there at all.  
  
"Hey!" the bartender's voice sounded in front of her. "Get up, missy, the bar's for my paying, drinking costumers. If you're gonna pass out, do it elsewhere."  
  
She refused to move, until at last he poked her with a sausage-sized finger on her head. She lifted herself up and slid off the bar stool, nearly falling on her ass in the process. "That's no way to treat your customers mister," she mumbled, before stumbling off to find some dark corner to collapse in. She knew, through the haze in her mind, that Spike's eyes were upon her, burning into her back as she walked away.  
  
"Broads like that really get on my nerves," bartender Jim was saying. "Pretty, naïve little things, get their heart broken two or three times a week, and come drink away their sorrows here. Spend the rest of the night throwing themselves at anyone who'll take 'em, and crying on your shoulder about their cheatin' lover."  
  
Spike shook his head and continued to watch as Faye leaned against an abandoned poker table and tried to steady herself. "How long has she been here?"  
  
"Since morning," Jim replied. "Waltzed right in, and plopped down on that bar stool, second to last, where she's been puttin' them away, one after another."  
  
Spike frowned as his eyes fell on the stool that Faye had recently vacated. It was the same stool Julia had sat in, all those years ago. Faye was seated at a Black Jack table now, watching the game progress with sad, empty eyes. They reminded him so much of Julia, that for a moment, he was overcome with nostalgia. But no, these were not Julia's eyes. Despite the evident sorrow, there was a still a fiery spark embedded deep within the shining jade. Despite her pain, she still looked alive.  
  
"Fix me up a prairie oyster, will you?" he asked of Jim. "Put it on my tab."  
  
"Got a hang over already?" Jim chuckled as he poured a small amount of Vodka into a glass, and followed it with raw egg yolk and Tabasco sauce.  
  
"Here ya go, buddy. Enjoy."  
  
Spike nodded to him, and carried it over to the Black Jack table, where Faye had just bet her last chip. He sat the glass down in front of her, and she stared at it, her eyes glazed over in drunken confusion. "It's a prairie oyster," Spike explained. "Good for drunkenness and hangovers."  
  
"It looks like someone was already sick in it," she replied slowly.  
  
He laughed. "Yeah, I know. Just pinch your nose shut, and swallow it all in one gulp."  
  
She did as he instructed, then sputtered and coughed at the taste it left. "That was the most rancid thing I ever tasted!"  
  
"Trust me, it'll help."  
  
"Nothing will help," she grumbled. "I'm out of a job, and I just gambled all my money away."  
  
"That wasn't very bright," he pointed out. "Look, this is just pathetic. If you'd get off your lazy ass and work, I'm sure you wouldn't have any problem." He sighed, feeling responsible for her current condition. "But, I guess... until you get back on your feet... I could let you work for me a little while longer. Just don't bring up anymore personal issues."  
  
She nodded, and instantly regretted it. The room started to spin, and next thing she knew, Spike was helping her up from the ground. The dizziness increased as she stood, and before she could make it to the bathroom, the prairie oyster hit her stomach.  
  
Spike covered his eyes with his hand. "My favorite shoes... Next time you decide to run off and sulk, do us both a favor and stay sober."  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)(*)(*)(*)  
  
Rinoa was so happy she felt like skipping, but the scowling man on her arm made her think twice about it. She had already dragged him to several shops and had yet to find something she liked. With every unsuccessful shopping attempt, the murderous look on his face seemed to worsen.  
  
Rinoa gazed happily through the mall's skylight as the two wandered past a fountain. She allowed her fingers to skim the edge, and saw the image flicker before her eyes. It was nothing more than a very realistic hologram. Neon signs flashed everywhere, and vending machines lined the walls between shops, holographic people and cutesy animals popping to life every time some one passed by so they could push their product on the common impulsive shopper. To Squall, it might as well have been the harsh environment of Callisto, but to Rinoa, it felt like home.  
  
They passed by a candy machine, causing a cartoon bunny to appear with a sugarcoated grin and a squeaky voice spouting off some annoying jingle. "That's it!" Squall growled. "Either you grab something at the next store, or we leave! I have a migraine the size of Jupiter, and it's all because you insisted on dragging me here."  
  
She hugged his arm tighter. "But I really appreciate it. Don't worry. This should be the last stop, I promise," she replied, tugging him into another women's shop.  
  
He'd never been so miserable in his life. She led him from rack to rack, not at all embarrassed about picking out bras and thongs in front of him. He looked away, trying to find anything to distract him, and concentrating on keeping the redness out of his face, and his mind out of the gutter.  
  
At last, she emerged from a changing room, spinning around to give him a full view. "Well, what do you think?"  
  
He felt his mouth go slightly dry. She wore a light blue duster that only came down to about her mid thigh. A few ties a the top of her abdomen kept the knit garment closed over her chest, but it opened up and flared out to the sides, revealing her flat stomach. Long, spider-web style sleeves fell down her arms, and she wore a pair of really short black shorts beneath her top. She spun around in her tall black boots once more before giggling to herself.  
  
"I think it looks good. I'm getting it."  
  
As he waited for her to pay for her things, Squall glanced to the other side of the mall and noticed a small weapons shop. In the window was a display of samurai swords, three of the same style resting on a stand. They were simple, unlike the popular, gaudy ones with the fake golden dragonheads on the top. They were straight, with sleek, smooth black sheaths and silver Asian writing on the sides. He squinted, and could barely make out a lion head dangling on a chain from the hilt of the largest one. It was the rare 'Black Lion' style, a kind he hadn't seen since his days in the syndicate.  
  
"What're you looking at?" Rinoa asked as she gazed over his shoulder.  
  
"Nothing," he answered abruptly. "You done?"  
  
She nodded and smiled at him. "Yeah, I am. Thanks Squall. I'm sorry you had such a miserable time. I think I know the perfect way to make it up to you, though."  
  
"Don't bother," he grumbled, before taking hold of her hand to leave. He paused in mid-step, realizing what he'd done, and abruptly dropped her hands, as if it were diseased. "Let's just go."  
  
Rinoa sighed at his aversion to the physical contact she longed for. She followed behind him with sluggish steps, glancing over her shoulder once last time at the sword display he'd been looking at. She wanted to make it all up to him somehow, and it was the only thing she could think of. Of course, despite her sympathy for him, she didn't intend to go much easier on him.  
  
(He's a man of few words and few emotions) she thought to herself. (I know that I like him, but the only way to find out how he feels about me, is to keep playing this cat and mouse game.)  
  
(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)(*)( *)(*)(*)(*)(*)  
  
A/N: Sorry if it was kinda boring. I'll admit, it was sort of a filler chapter, though I believe it did serve some purpose... I'll let you know when I figure out what. Sorry if you have one of those gaudy swords I was talking about. Nothing against your tastes, I just personally prefer the more realistic ones.  
  
Next Session: Games can only last so long, before someone gets hurt. The role of the mouse does not suit everyone, and soon, the mighty lion bares his fangs in protest. Does the dragon still burn with fire, or will she fall prey to his ice? The drama unfolds beneath the watchful eyes of the moon. Session 6: Waltz for the Moon 


	6. Session 6: Waltz for the Moon

A/N: Poor response for last chapter. Oh well. As I understand it, people are suffering from PMS (pre mid-term syndrome). I gotta go take the FCATS in February and March myself, so don't feel bad. But, if you will, cross your finger for me, ne?  
  
Chapter 6: Waltz for the Moon  
  
Rinoa glared at the computer screen in front of her as she had done for the past half hour. The pale glow of the monitor lit up her face, and the only sounds present were the buzzing of the computer and the ever- present humming of the ship.  
  
"I've tried everything I could think of!" Rinoa exclaimed in a hushed voice. "I bet it was Squall who did this. Only he could do something to annoy me this much!"  
  
The sound of footsteps echoed through the hall, and the door suddenly slid open. Rinoa cursed beneath her breath and tried to quickly shut down the computer, to no avail.  
  
"Evil-Syndicate-Lady-Person?" a voice came from behind her. "Why you up so late?"  
  
Rinoa chewed her lips for a moment before smiling kindly and turning to the half-asleep little girl next to her. "Edward! You should be asleep by now. But I guess since you're up, you can help me out. It'll be our little secret, okay? Now, I need you to tell me the access code to the communication line. They took my communicator away, and I really need to check with someone. Will you help me?"  
  
Ed sat down on the floor and raised her leg to scratch behind her ear with her foot. "Mmm... Squall-person and Jet-person told me not to."  
  
"But Ed! If you don't give me the password, something really bad will happen to me!"  
  
Edward paused to think about it, and her empty stomach grumbled. "Edward is hungry!"  
  
"I'll get you some food!" Rinoa promised. "But only if you give me the code."  
  
Ed jumped up happily. "Deal!"  
  
Dragging Edward through the darkened corridors with a hand clamped over her mouth and another hand tightly gripping one of her flailing limbs, Rinoa managed to get the two of them to the kitchen without waking anyone else up. Once there, she flicked the light on and began looking through the cabinets for something quick and easy to make.  
  
"Well, what do you want?"  
  
Edward jumped onto the counter and pulled out several containers of instant ramen. She pulled the cord off the bottom of one, then peeled off the lid, watching the steam rise from the noodles before emptying them down her throat.  
  
"That's all?" Rinoa asked.  
  
Edward nodded as she drained another cup of noodles, spilling half of them on her white tank top. "The password-password is 'raionkuro' all together-together."  
  
Rinoa nodded and left Ed to her feast, quickly traveling back to the cockpit and attempting to log onto the communication line again. She entered the password that Ed told her, but was once again denied access.  
  
"Shit! I should've known not to trust her," she groaned. "But where would she come up with such an unusual password? Maybe it opens something else?"  
  
She ran a search of all the locked documents and programs on the computer, and one by one, she tried to access them until she hit on a folder called, 'Sukoru no Higeki'. She typed in the odd password for the equally odd titled file, and grinned when its contents were displayed for her.  
  
The majority of the files were documents with a few other file types mixed in. She opened the first document and realized it was a copy of an old, on-line news article about the disbanding of the Black Lion Syndicate. Frowning, Rinoa skimmed over it and moved on to the next.  
  
It was a simple, typed out document with what appeared to be a date for the title. It was only from a few years ago, and appeared to be a detailed account of an event from someone's point of view... she gasped as she realized it was a personal diary. Feeling guilty, she went to shut it down, but her curiosity got the better of her and she read through the document until she caught the name at the bottom. It belonged to one Squall Leonhart.  
  
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"Well, you look lovely."  
  
Faye turned toward the deep, teasing voice with an angered scowl. "When I agreed to come back, this was so not what I pictured myself doing."  
  
Spike shrugged as he came to lean against the desk in front of her. "Hey, I did you a favor. Anyway, it's not like you actually have to do anything. Just play the part. Get him into the hotel room, and we'll take it from there."  
  
"And what if he doesn't take the bait?"  
  
Spike grinned. "Then you're fired again."  
  
Faye lit up a cigarette and plopped unceremoniously into the chair in front of the desk. She crossed her legs, which were clad in black knee high boots and thigh-high fish net stockings before taking a long drag from the poisonous stick. "I know my skirt was short before," she complained. "But this is ridiculous."  
  
The rest of her outfit consisted of a purple vinyl skirt that didn't even cover the bottom of her ass, a black sequined tube top, and a purple- feathered boa that was draped carelessly over her slim shoulders. Long gloves were pulled up her arms that matched the color of her eyes and the headband in her now messy violet hair. Sparkly grape-colored eye shadow and ruby lipstick painted her face in heavy coats, and her nails were painted hot pink with yellow zebra stripes across them.  
  
"Don't you have other girls to play your whore?" she asked snappishly.  
  
"Not my whore," he clarified. "Even my whores would be more stylish than that. Besides, you fit the part so perfectly, my dear," he taunted. The slap that followed echoed down the hallway. "I should fire you for that," he grumbled, rubbing his cheek. "I guess it was called for though."  
  
"Damn straight!"  
  
Spike held up his hands in defense. "Alright, calm down. Let's just go. We gotta get you on Venus Avenue before he makes his stop there, okay? Remember, he has long black hair and a beard, dark eyes and a deep voice. At least that's what we're hoping."  
  
"What do you mean, hoping? Don't you know what he looks like?"  
  
"Plastic surgery is inexpensive these days. Last guy we went after came under our custody as a woman."  
  
"Alright," Faye sighed, flipping her hair. "I catch the guy's attention, take him to the Honey Bee Motel, and pick up the key for room 228. I get him there, and you'll take care of the rest. Or at least you better, otherwise I'm going to kill him myself, and kick your ass."  
  
Spike laughed as they started down the hallway. "I would expect nothing less from you."  
  
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Squall stumbled into the kitchen the next morning, stretching out his sore limbs and yawning. His eyes fell to the floor, and he stopped, rubbing his eyes in hope that what he'd seen wasn't real.  
  
"What the hell happened here?" he demanded with a sigh of acceptance.  
  
On the floor of the kitchen, Edward was sprawled out as if she'd been run over, her belly swollen and her top stained with broth and dried noodles. Empty ramen containers and spilled noodles littered the floor around her while she snored and muttered about pudding.  
  
He bent down and shook the girl until her golden eyes fluttered open. "Shichi, hachi, kyu, konnichiwa to you, Squally-person," she muttered.  
  
"What the hell were you thinking?"  
  
Edward looked around her and sighed dreamily. "Foody-food. Evil- Syndicate-Person-Lady let Edward have it in exchange for the communication line password."  
  
"And you gave it to her!"  
  
"Edward was hungry," the little girl pouted.  
  
With a string of curses that would make even a sailor from Callisto blush, he ran into the living area where he found Rinoa curled up beneath her blankets on the worn yellow couch.  
  
"You tricked the kid into giving you the code and you're still here?" he questioned coldly.  
  
"It doesn't matter," she replied quietly, without looking him in the eye. "The code she gave me didn't work."  
  
"What about all the food you gave her? That was our dinner for tonight. Whatever else Jet scrounges up, you're not getting any until you've missed enough to make up for the ramen."  
  
"My father won't be very happy that you starved me," she replied, this time summoning the courage to look at him.  
  
"You think I care?"  
  
He expected her to go into another fit, but instead, she just peeked at him over her covers and sighed. He scratched at the back of his neck, feeling uneasy at her silence, and was about to leave the room when Jet entered.  
  
"Just got word of a new bounty over in Esthar. This information isn't public, an old police buddy tipped me off. This guy's worth half a million gil, and it's almost certain that he's going to show up at an elite party tonight. We'll get Ed to do some hacking and get our names on the list."  
  
"Speaking of Ed, she's eaten five cartons of Ramen. Rinoa gave it to her in exchange for the password to the computer."  
  
"Ed gave it to her?"  
  
"Yeah, but it didn't work."  
  
Jet turned a disapproving gaze to Rinoa. "Now I've been pretty tolerant of you so far. You seem like a nice girl, even if you are troublesome. But you have to understand that food's scarce around here, and you just cost us a lot of it."  
  
"I told her she's not getting any food until the ramen's accounted for," Squall interjected.  
  
"We can't starve her to death, Squall!" Jet exclaimed. "I knew you were heartless but I never knew you were cruel! Anyway, she can pay it off by helping us bag this bounty. One of us going alone, of two guys together is gonna look suspicious. So, Rinoa, you'll go with Squall to this shindig and help nab that half million. That should more than cover the ramen."  
  
"With me? No way!" Squall said. "Why don't you go?"  
  
"And look like a cradle-robber? No thanks, buddy. Besides, I'm not into to dressing up all fancy."  
  
"Neither am I," Squall growled through clenched teeth. "Why don't you send Zell then?"  
  
"You know he's not good in the field. Come on Squall, it's just for one night. Besides, I hear they're serving food there. You get food, a beautiful girl on your arm, and a pretty hefty bounty. What are you complaining about?"  
  
"Whatever!" he yelled in irritation before stomping off to his room.  
  
"Is he always this moody?" Rinoa asked.  
  
"In the few years that I've known him... well, only every single day. Still, I've never seen him get as riled up as he does when you're around."  
  
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Faye sighed as she noticed the sleek black car pull into the street and slowly cruise along. She had a bad feeling about the way things were going to turn out with this, but she knew telling Spike was a waste of breath. So instead, she pranced around at the corner of Venus Avenue and Washington Drive, making sure to put a little extra sway in her hips as she paced.  
  
The car was coming closer now, and slowing down even further as it neared her. There were lots of women out working the street today, but she was by far the best looking one, no matter how tackily she was dressed.  
  
The vehicle pulled to a stop at the curb, and she smiled, strutting up to the window opposite the passenger side and leaning her elbows on the door once he let down the fiberglass panel.  
  
"Hey there, cutie," she greeted smoothly, despite the uneasy feeling that settled in the pit of her stomach as she gazed into his intensely dark eyes. "You look like you could use some company."  
  
"Maybe," he replied in a low, guttural voice. "I just got into to town, though, and I don't have a place to stay. Any suggestions?"  
  
Warning bells sounded in her mind, but she knew there was no way she could protest now. This was far too easy. Still, Spike was expecting her, and she didn't want to lose her job again. "Well, the Honey Bee Motel is right down the street. I know the owner. I can get you a discount on one of the best rooms."  
  
He regarded her with the cold, void pools of his eyes before nodding his consent. "Get in."  
  
The ride to the motel was short, of course, and she soon found herself walking into the shabby motel on the arm of the tall, mysterious stranger. She winked at the man at the front desk, who wordlessly tossed her a key card to room 228. She glanced up at her 'customer' and forced a smile. His very demeanor sent a chill up her spine, but Faye Valentine was not one to miss a beat.  
  
(Every great woman must be a great actress) she thought as they took the elevator up.  
  
"You know," he began, "I've been down this street many times before. Yet, I've never seen you there until today."  
  
"I just changed locations," she spouted off flawlessly. "I used to work the train station area. You know, Augusta Street."  
  
He didn't say another word as the elevator came to a stop on their floor, and they stepped out, Faye leading the way to the room. As he was closing and locking the door behind them, she heard a faint, but all to familiar 'click'.  
  
She spun around, only to have him grab her by her hair and press the icy end of his pistol to her neck. His eyes wandered the room suspiciously before he said, "I know you're watching, Spiegel. You better come get your whore before I blow her away."  
  
In the room across the hall, Spike and a few other Red Dragon members were seated around a computer monitor, watching as Faye whined, "I am NOT his whore!"  
  
"Dammit!" Spike cursed, slamming his fist into the desk and causing the computer to jump. "He was on to us. You guys spread out and make sure he doesn't leave the room. I'm going in!"  
  
Faye's captor pulled her hair harder as she yelled in protest, which prompted her temper to flare, and the sharply pointed heel of her boot to come crashing down on the arch of his foot. He hissed in pain, his eyes crushed shut and his grip tightening.  
  
During that split second of distraction, Spike busted down the door and took a shot at the black-clad man, injuring his hand and skimming Faye's neck.  
  
"Hey, watch it, lunkhead!" she complained as she dove out of the way.  
  
"Vincent Volaju," Spike growled. "Long time no see."  
  
The man before him clutched at his hand and smirked. "Yes, it has been awhile. And it seems you haven't changed a bit. Still just as reckless and impulsive as ever. Really Spike, did you think I'd let myself be found so easily?"  
  
"It's been three years. What more do you have to hide?"  
  
Vincent grinned in a way that made demons look saintly, reaching into his coat pocket, and producing what looked to be a grenade. "Tell me, Spike. Do you still live in purgatory as well?"  
  
Before Spike could answer, Vincent threw the grenade to the before turning his back and running for the window. Smoke instantly filled the room, and Spike fired in the direction Vincent had disappeared, a coughing fit jerking his body and causing the bullets to fly in all different directions before they were swallowed by the fog. The sound of shattering glass echoed through the room, and Spike lurched forward, before tumbling to the ground next to Faye. The two scrambled up and ran for the broken window, desperately trying to suck in fresh air.  
  
"This is never gonna work," Spike wheezed, and without further warning, launched himself into the street below.  
  
"Bastard," Faye grumbled before jumping down herself and gracefully landing on her feet as if she were born a cat.  
  
With her long, slender legs working double time, she caught up to Spike within a few minutes. He was climbing into the Swordfish, preparing to go after Vincent who had his own ship park only a block down. Faye jumped into the cockpit next to him just as the hatch was slamming shut.  
  
"We discussed this before!" Spike yelled. "Your ass is too big for you to be in here with me!"  
  
"Just shut up and drive!"  
  
Above them, Vincent's own black ship rose into the sky and took off for space. With an angry growl, Spike slammed his foot down on the accelerator, and prepared to make chase.  
  
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Esthar was huge, even compared to Deling City. This was the first thing Rinoa noticed as she peered through the window of the Ragnarok, Squall's own blazing red ship. He sat beside her in silence, his mouth drawn into a thin line and his jaw set in irritation. For once, she wasn't going to try and make him speak to her. The typically unnerving silence was more than welcome now.  
  
She wasn't sure exactly what it was that made her feel so guilty. After all, stumbling upon his files had only been an accident. Still, she knew that she had inadvertently intruded on a secret that, from what she read, only a handful of other people knew about. Moreover, in that file hidden away in the deep recesses of the ships computer, Squall had actually expressed his thoughts and emotions, and no one, especially her, was ever meant to know of them.  
  
"Rinoa," his terse voice reached her ears through her reverie. "We're here. Are you coming, or not?"  
  
Rinoa realized with a start, that while she'd been lost to the wanderings of her mind, Squall had landed the ship in front of a huge, white stone building. Blushing, she gathered her sheer white wrap around her shoulders and stepped out of the ship before wrapping an arm around his in order to keep up the guise of a happy couple... Well, a couple, anyway. With Squall's constant scowling, the happy part simply wasn't believable.  
  
"Who are we going after, anyway?" she asked in a hushed tone as they entered the lobby.  
  
He paused to give the guard the fake name that Edward had placed on their list, before heading into the ballroom and replying, "His name's Mao Yenrai. He's supposed to be doing some rotten business deals with some rotten people."  
  
"I see," she replied and gazed around the sparkling room filled with dancing couples and mingling socialites. It was an all too common scene for the General's daughter. "So what, we just stand around until we see him, grab him and go? Right in the middle of a party?"  
  
"That's the plan. We have to wait for the right opportunity of course, but that shouldn't be any problem for me. Just make sure that when the time comes, you don't get in my way."  
  
"I'm not a child," Rinoa frowned.  
  
"Could've fooled me."  
  
"Whatever," she sighed. "Look, lets just do something. We can't just stand around, that would look suspicious."  
  
"Speaking of which, you're acting awfully suspicious. Are you sick again?"  
  
Her sullen face faltered, and softened as she turned to look at him once more. "No, I'm fine. Thanks for asking. It's uncharacteristically kind of you."  
  
His scowl deepened. "It's not like I care. I'm just being cautious. We can't afford to have anything go wrong here. Yenrai is that biggest bounty out right now, if we don't catch him, we don't eat for a while."  
  
"Well, in that case, let's go dance," she replied, tugging him toward the crowded dance floor.  
  
"What? What does dancing have to do with catching a bounty? I don't dance, dammit, and I'm not about to start!"  
  
Rinoa stopped toward the middle of the floor and placed one of his hands on her hip and took the other in her own. "I already told you, just standing around and waiting for this guy to show up is gonna look suspicious. We have to do something, and dancing is a normal thing for couples to do at a party. Besides, it's fun."  
  
"My idea of fun and your idea of fun are two very different things."  
  
She giggled as they began a slow, cautious dance all their own. "Yeah, your idea of fun is sitting around and staring at the walls."  
  
"Whatever."  
  
"You lied, you know," Rinoa pointed out. "You're dancing just fine."  
  
"This isn't the first fancy party I've been to," he muttered.  
  
She realized then why he must've been so set against coming here. This was exactly the kind of thing he might've done in the syndicate, and it was obvious that he wanted to leave that part of his life behind. She unconsciously shifted closer to him, placing her arms around his neck.  
  
"It's not my first either," she whispered back. "General Caraway was always hosting these kinds of parties, and I was always required to go. He would drag me around from person to person, showing me off like some kind of trophy. He did the same to my mother before she died. There were few things that I hated more."  
  
"Your father was a warrior, and he expected you to be one, too, even if it wasn't on the battlefield. It was your job to play the role of the perfect daughter, and push aside whatever negative feelings you had."  
  
"So you think that what he did was right?"  
  
Squall sighed in frustration. "I didn't say that. I'm just saying that since there was nothing you could do, you shouldn't have let it get to you."  
  
Rinoa rested her head on his shoulder, gently nuzzling her face into the crook of his neck as she slowly drifted off into a dream-like trance. "It's not like you never had feelings, either."  
  
"I never cared enough to," he answered softly as he felt his cheeks redden from her close proximity.  
  
"But you did care," she murmured without thinking. "Otherwise it wouldn't have hurt so much when the syndicate betrayed you."  
  
He came to a complete stop, and his muscles tensed, sending the message through the haze of her mind that something was wrong. She pulled back and opened her eyes, finding his intense gaze leveled at her with such a smoldering anger that he nearly scared her.  
  
"How did you-"  
  
"Mr. Yenrai!" someone greeted loudly from across the room. "So nice to meet you!"  
  
Squall roughly pushed Rinoa away. "We'll talk about this later."  
  
She watched with a sinking heart as he walked off to go talk to Mao. She strained her ears to hear them talk as she stepped off the dance floor and took a seat at an empty table.  
  
"Mr. Yenrai, pleased to meet you. I hear you've come across some good deals lately."  
  
The older, dark-haired man laughed. "Yes, I've been very fortunate."  
  
"Mind sharing the secret?"  
  
"Oh, I don't think this business is for everyone. It's very... special."  
  
"I understand completely. Trust me, I don't mind. I'm good with all kinds of business."  
  
Mao smiled. "Well then, boy, why don't we find a more private place to discuss this? I'm sure my business partner will be thrilled to have a new investor."  
  
As the two men started to leave, Squall turned to Rinoa and mouthed the words, 'Be ready to go' to her. She nodded her head and decided she's take advantage of a free drink or two before heading out to the Ragnarok. She had the feeling she would need it, before the night was through.  
  
Once Squall and Mao were out of the ballroom, Squall grabbed for the handcuffs hidden in his suit jacket. "You're worth an awful lot of money, Mr. Yenrai."  
  
He hadn't expected the old, beer-bellied man to be so fast, but before he could make a move for him, Mao had pulled a small pistol from his own jacket and was aiming for him. Squall made a grab for Mao's gun, only to feel a sharp, burning pain shoot through his hand. He clutched at his bloodied palm for a second, and Mao took the opportunity to run. After a moment, Squall recovered enough to grab for his own gun and chase after the man.  
  
Squall finally caught up to him at the backdoor, and tackled him to the ground. A moment later, Mao Yenrai had his hands bound behind his back, and was being led to the Ragnarok. Squall shoved the old man in the back, and was about to take off when he realized Rinoa wasn't there yet.  
  
After a brief battle with his conscience over whether to just leave her there or not, he locked Mao inside and stopped off into the building once more in search of the pain in the ass woman. Rinoa came out just as Squall was about to go in, and cowered beneath the murderous look on his face.  
  
"I told you to be ready to go!"  
  
"I'm sorry, I didn't think you'd have him that fast!"  
  
"When I tell you to do something, don't think just do it! That kind of attitude is gonna cost you dearly in the long run."  
  
"Why, because I'm not a mindless drone?" she demanded. "I least I know better than to waste my time arguing over nothing when the bounty is about to highjack my ship!"  
  
"What?!"  
  
Squall turned around to see that Mao had escaped from his binds and was now in the front seat of the Ragnarok, trying to work the controls. Squall fired a warning shot through the windshield on the passenger side, and Mao abandoned his attempts to get the giant bird flying, and instead scrambled out the door to another unattended vehicle. Squall continued to fire, but with the amount of distance between him and the escaping man, his aim was slightly off. He finally put his pistol away and took off running with Rinoa close on his heels.  
  
By this time, Mao had control of another ship, and was slowly rising into the sky. The wailing of sirens echoed down the street, and before Squall and Rinoa could reach their own ship, three cop cars cut them off, letting Mao escape into the safety of space once more.  
  
"You! What do you think you're doing here?" one of the officers demanded as he stepped out of his car.  
  
"Trying to catch a bounty, sir," Squall replied.  
  
"You got a license?"  
  
With a weary expression, a tired sigh, and a death glare aimed at Rinoa, Squall dug out his wallet and began pulling out his bounty hunting license and registration papers.  
  
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"So... Wasn't the best night for bounty hunting, huh?" Rinoa laughed nervously as they walked along the moonlit docks toward the Bebop. After the cops had let them go, they dropped the Ragnarok off at a repair shop to get the windshield fixed, before walking the rest of the way to the harbor.  
  
Squall didn't say anything. In fact, he hadn't said a word to her since their argument on the steps outside the banquet. Though he tried to contain it, she could feel the rage and tension pouring off from him, almost like a warning sign to those around him that he was gonna go off at any minute. Still, the silence was unbearable, and she wanted him to at least acknowledge that she was there, something else he hadn't done since the party.  
  
"Squall, come on. I said I was sorry."  
  
"Sorry?" he repeated quietly, which made Rinoa wince. "This is the second time, Rinoa. The second fuckin' time you got in the way! The second time you made me lose my bounty! No one is going to be able to eat because of you!"  
  
She sighed heavily. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean-"  
  
"I don't care!" he interrupted with a roar. "It's bad enough that you made me lose two bounties, ran away, gave a week's supply of food to the kid, and don't pull your weight around the ship... but you've been snooping around the computer, too, haven't you?"  
  
"It was an accident, really. Edward somehow discovered the password to your locked folder, and told me it was the password to the communication line. When the password didn't work for that, I searched for other locked files and programs, hoping I could get something out of it. I found your folder and opened it, without knowing what it was. I didn't realize it was yours until I got to the bottom of the file, where your name was."  
  
"What did you read about?" he asked. His voice was calm now, but she knew that any minute now, he could go off again.  
  
"The real reason the syndicate disbanded," she replied. "About how they betrayed you, and how much it-"  
  
"Enough. I've heard enough."  
  
"Squall, it was just an accident, I swear I didn't mean-"  
  
"I said I've heard enough. You're more trouble than you're worth! Caraway hasn't offered up that reward yet, and at this rate, it doesn't look like he will at all. He probably doesn't want you back anymore than I want you here!" His back was turned to her, as he spoke, and he couldn't see the two silver streams that traced their way down her porcelain cheeks. "You've been nothing but a pain in the ass this entire time!"  
  
"I'm sorry," she choked out. "Just take me back to the Red Dragon Headquarters."  
  
"And give you another chance to fuck things up? No way! You have money, hitch a ride out of here! You're not going any place else with us!"  
  
"You're just... going to leave me here?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
With that he walked off, heading into the Bebop and leaving her to stand alone on the pier. She stared hard at the slightly rusted ship that had been her home for nearly a week, before she turned on her heels and began to run as far away as she could from it, with only the moonlight above to guide her.  
  
She had her freedom now... So why did she want to just break down and cry?  
  
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"What do you mean, we're out of fuel!?"  
  
"Just what I said, Faye. We're alone, drifting in space, all systems are down, Vincent has escaped to Esthar, and we have no fuel..."  
  
**  
  
See you Space Cowboy...  
  
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Next Session: "They could see nothing in the room but each other, could feel nothing but the all-consuming hatred born from years of secrets and pain. Like an unseen ghost, or a fly on the wall, I could only watch helplessly as blood pooled on the floor, and pray that if I closed my eyes and cried enough, I would awake, safe in his embrace." Session 7: An Elegy for Innocence 


	7. Session 7: An Elegy for Innocence

                                                Session 7: An Elegy for Innocence

            Self-loathing.  It was a heavy, depressing, all consuming emotion that ate at you from the inside until you were saturated with hatred, guilt, and disappointment, all aimed at yourself.  It was one of those things that evaded all sense of reasoning.  Of course you were to blame.  If you weren't, why would you feel this way?  The thought of hating herself was disturbing, but at the moment, it could not be denied.  Rinoa Heartilly was in a state of extreme self-loathing.

            She sat on the steps outside the hotel that she had checked into for the night, glaring up at the stars where the cause of all her problems would soon escape.  She was so caught up in her mental berating that she didn't notice the chilly evening air closing in on her bare skin, or even the people coming in and out of the glass doors leading to the lobby.  After quite some time, however, she did become slightly aware of a pair of eyes burning into her back.

            "Can I bum a smoke?" 

            The hair at the back of her neck seemed to defy gravity at that moment, and she had the impossible feeling that she'd just been spoken to by the devil himself.  She peeked over her exposed shoulder, toward the shadows that had called to her.  A glowing red circle burned to life for a brief moment, before swirls of smoke wafted upon the breeze and danced in the dim streetlights.

            "You already have one," she replied quietly.

            "It's my last one."

            "I don't smoke, sorry."

            With that she turned away in hopes that he would let her alone.  The scuffling of shoes behind her filled her with hope that he would go inside, but as the scraping sound cut short she realized he was just shifting his weight.

            "You shouldn't be out here with nothing to protect you... from the cold."

            "I don't feel it," she answered shortly, the burning dread in the pit of her stomach increasing.  She wanted to stand up and flee to the safety of the well-lit lobby herself now, but she could simply not will herself to move past him.

            He grunted in reply, stomping his cigarette out.  The frosted glass door flew open, flooding the darkened street with temporary light before it fell closed once more.  She breathed a sigh of relief, vowing to herself that she wouldn't sit around out in the street anymore.  Her self-congratulatory monologue was cut short by the feeling of cold steel trailing down her neck...

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            _Black, soulless pools stared up into the heavens, the dark void sky stretching out like a reflection to her eyes.  It was dismal and bleak, this view of the city that towered beyond the window... It suited her perfectly._

_            A small smile briefly flickered over her face as a pair of long, muscled arms slid around her waist from behind.  His lips pressed into her paradise-colored curls and she could feel his own serene little smile there._

_            "Maybe if you squint hard enough, you can see the stars."_

_            She stroked his arm with long, spindly fingers, the crimson paint at the tips a stark contrast upon his pale flesh.  "I'll see them often enough on the trip," she replied, her smooth, confident voice ringing melodically in his ear.  "Edea insists that Vicious take her puppet around to all the major bases, and of course Vicious wants me to come along."_

_            "Julia..." he murmured, tightening his hold on her.  "Just saying your name makes me happy, you know.  It brings nothing but good memories to me."_

_            She chuckled slightly.  "Should I worry that I remind you of your mother?"_

_            "No, no.  Only the name is the same.  The feelings are completely different..." he was silent for a moment, letting the momentary levity slip away before he spoke again.  "We could always run away together."_

_            She pressed her hand to the glass, as if reaching for the outside world, only to be held back by the transparent barrier.  "There's nowhere we can go that they won't follow.  Vicious has that kind of power, and he won't hesitate to use it."_

_            "So let him come," he whispered back.  "We'll fly from place to place like birds, we'll be completely free with nothing to worry about but ourselves.  We'll break the chains that keep us bound to this life... it'll be... just like watching a dream."_

_            "Just like a dream," she repeated, her face lighting up with a smile for the first time.  "A dream that you never have to wake up from..."_

_            She stared up at the sky once more and squinted her eyes.  There, against the black impenetrable canopy that blanketed the sky, she could barely see a few, scattered dots of sparkling light... _

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"What kind of dumb ass goes out without a spare fuel rod, anyway?"

            Spike turned a baleful glare in the direction of the whining young woman who sat studying her nails in the seat next to him.  The memory that had floated through his brain, brought forward by the entrancing stars that surrounded him, vanished at her words.  "Lin was supposed to have the ship ready for travel," he said finally.  " I had a feeling Volaju would run.  If you wanna complain to him about it, that's fine, but I don't wanna hear it anymore!"

            She looked up at him, emerald eyes shining in amusement.  "Only an amateur would blindly trust someone else to take care of his ship.  For all you known, Lin purposely fixed it so that we would be stranded here.  For all you know, he could be planning a coup right about now."

            "Not all of us have trust issues, shrew."

            Faye didn't hesitate to smack him over the head one good time.  "Yeah right, Mr. High-and-Mighty.  You trust the people you work with... you trust those people to get the job done, because they know what could happen to them if they don't.  But you don't trust people on a personal level."

            "What business is that of yours?"

            She leaned her head against the window and crossed her arms over her chest in thought.  "It's not my business.  It's just an observation.  It must be awfully lonely to live the way you do."

            "And it must be awfully lonely being a heartless shrew of a slut," he replied coolly.

            "Go to hell, Spiegel," she spat out.  

            "What, no better come-back from the shrew-queen?  Or is it princess?  Your mother must be the queen."

            Faye said nothing, but when he looked over at her, she was staring out the window, her back turned to him as best as she could manage in the cramped space.  Her silence made him increasingly uneasy, until he finally said, "What, you can't even defend your own mother?"

            Her shoulders went rigid against his dual-toned stare.  "I don't remember..." she cut herself off with an annoyed sigh.  "Never mind that.  It's none of you damn business.  Just leave me the hell alone."

            For a long moment he could only stare at her in surprise at her sudden lack of spirit, until, with a sigh of his own, he leaned back in the seat, and began to quietly count away the minutes. 

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            Hardly anyone had spoken a word to him since he'd come back to the ship alone.  Not even Ed, and that was certainly saying something.  When he'd stepped into the door, Jet had been sitting on the worn yellow sofa, waiting for him.  The older man had turned so that one dark eye was glaring over his shoulder.

            "Bounty?" he'd inquired.

            "Lost it."

            It had seemed at first that Jet was going to ask him another question, but after a moment of visible debate, he'd turned back around and continued to watch the black and white spaghetti Western on the small monitor of the computer, which had recently been dubbed 'Tomato' by Edward.

            They were all gathered in the living room now, seated around Tomato and watching for new bounties.  At least Jet and Zell were.  Squall, sitting off to himself in the busted canary-colored chair had tuned the annoying program out, focusing instead on the steady hum of the ship and the silence that invaded the air.  He had lived on the Bebop for two years with nothing to listen to but the rare arguments of his companions and the buzzing of the old, renovated fishing ship as it struggled through space.  Yet only a week of having that troublesome girl around had gotten him used to the cheery conversation and friendly banter that seemed to follow her.  Odd how merely her presence had seemed to put everyone in a better mood... except for himself, of course.

            "Did you hear that?" Jet demanded from his seat on the couch.  "Yenrai's been spotted near Europa."

            "I went after him last night," Squall protested.  Seeing Yenrai again would only remind him of that woman.

            "Yeah, and you lost him last night.  Since that makes three bounties that you've lost-"

            "Two."

            "Three," Jet repeated, "then you'll go after him again tomorrow.  If you don't like it, tough!"

            "Fine," the younger man grumbled, pushing himself to his feet.  "You can wake me up when we get there."

            Once he was out of earshot, Zell shook his head.  "Is it possible that he's even more grumpy now than before?" 

            Jet turned to the young boy and grinned.  "I think he just misses his woman."

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            There was no one to scream for.  That thought echoed in her mind repeatedly as the blackness of space rushed past her.  He hadn't bothered to place any sort of gag in her mouth, and she realized why.  He was the only person there, and even if he wasn't who would care that she was being hauled off to some unimaginably horrible fate?  She thought briefly of her knight in shining black leather.  After all those times he'd gone out of his way to save her, he suddenly decides to just walk away and leave her, as though she were nothing more than some kind of unwanted dog you abandoned in the street.  Granted she did have the money to get out of there, but still how could he just walk away from her?  

            (Because he really, truly, honestly doesn't give a damn about you, Rinoa) she thought to herself, leaning her forehead against the cool plastic that served as the window of the tiny craft.  

            The man next to her, clad entirely in black, hadn't so much as glanced at her since he'd tossed her into his vehicle.  She had no idea where they were headed, and knew it didn't matter anyway.  When she finally got up the courage to open her mouth, she asked instead, "What are you going to do to me?"

            He shrugged indifferently.  "Use you and kill you, use you and sell you off... doesn't matter to me.  An innocent beauty like you would be worth a lot, but if I'm in the mood to see your blood paint the walls..."

            She shivered, tears streaming down faster and faster, as if in parody of a rainstorm falling down from the sky.  She had no weapons, no one to help, and no where to go...  Everyone had been right about her, she realized.  Even in the end, she had failed to prove herself...

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            _Light burned through the protective covers of her eyelids, causing her to groan in discomfort.  A monotonous 'beep' sounded off next to her at regular intervals and a sterile scent, or perhaps lack of scent, tickled her nose as heels clicked back and forth in front of her._

_            "Welcome to the world of the living, Ms. Valentine," a soothing voice greeted from her bedside.  "You've been gone for quite a while."_

_            "Valentine..." she murmured trying to open her eyes to the unfamiliar setting.  "W-where am I?" she stammered in a weak voice._

_            "The Balamb Garden infirmary.  We had specialists come in to perform a very special procedure.  Now, here you are."_

_            "A garden?" she searched her foggy mind for the term, drawing up at first, images of hedges and flowers.  "Not like a backyard garden, huh?" she asked, smiling just a little.  She tried to think again, but nothing came._

_            "Gardens were established almost fifty-five years ago, and your father helped to fund the original project.  You've only been frozen for fifty years, child.  You should remember."_

_            As she finally pried her eyes open, she could see a middle-aged woman hovering over her, though her attention was now drawn elsewhere.  "My father?" she wondered.  "I... I don't... Oh my God..." she gasped fear seeping into her still sluggish blood and causing her heart to slam into her chest.  "I don't remember who I am," she whispered, voice cracking as she spoke her thoughts aloud._

_            The woman above her turned to look at her sharply.  "Don't joke like that, child!"_

_            "She isn't joking," a voice called from the other side of the room.  Through blurry eyes she could see what appeared to be a woman sitting at a computer.  "Take a look at the brain wave patterns, Dr. Kadowaki.  All of her personal memories are gone."_

_            "But how did this happen?" the doctor demanded.  "There were a few minor complications, but..."_

_            "I can't say, doctor.  It was a complicated procedure.  After all, it took them fifty years just for them to be able to unfreeze her."_

_            Kadowaki look down at her once more, an almost wild, frantic look in her eyes.  "Your name is Faye Valentine!  You're a twenty-year-old female, your family was rich, you were... dammit!  Where are her records?"_

_            "That's pretty much all we know about her," the nurse replied.  "Her father donated the money, but no information about himself.  So we really don't know anything about her, either.  Except that she owes ten million gil for the procedure."_

_            "What?" Faye cried, struggling to sit up even while the doctor pushed her back down.  "Where's my father?  If he's so rich, why can't he pay for it?"_

_            "It's been fifty years, dear," Kadowaki said as gently as she could manage.  "As far as we know, your parents are dead, or at least don't have any contact with you anymore.  You... don't have a cent to your name."_

_            Faye sat up and leaned over, masking her face with a hand as sparkling tears ran down her cheeks.  "How... how can this be?  My parents just left me like this?" she whispered, then jumped to her feet before Kadowaki could stop her.  "How the hell do you expect me to pay that kind of money?" she demanded, anger glittering in her eyes even while the tears continued to come.  "How can you just take someone that doesn't know anything about their life, anything about the world anymore, and then shove this kind of debt on them?  Why bring me back if I can't pay?"_

_            "I'm sure you can work off the debt," Kadowaki tried to reassure her, attempting to place a comforting hand on the sobbing girls shoulder._

_            Faye shrugged it off before letting out a frustrated scream.  "You've got to be kidding me!" she shouted, shoving over the nearby table in her tantrum.  "You can't do this to me!  Just give me time, I'll go out and find my parents, I swear!"  She stopped suddenly, limbs trembling, before sinking to her knees on the cold linoleum floor.  "I just wanna go home..."_

_            Kadowaki sighed, and squeezed her shoulder.  "This is the only home you have now..."_

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            A shaky sigh escaped Faye's lips as the memory drifted past.  There were few things as degrading as being owned by someone or something, and until she could work off her debt as a SeeD, she was nothing more than property of Balamb Garden.

            (What if I just ran away?) she wondered to herself.  (What if I just stayed in the syndicate and never returned to Garden?)

            "It's been too long, now," Spike muttered in the seat next to her.  "Why the hell haven't they come after us yet?  Why can't I get in touch with them?"

            "Maybe they were trying to get rid of you all along," Faye suggested with an impish grin that she forced through the lump in her throat.

            He didn't find it quite so amusing.  "I'm beginning to think you're a jinx, Maximoto.  Ever since you joined up, bad things have happened to me."

            "Like what?" she huffed.

            "My sister is missing, all the computers at headquarters crashed, my favorite pair of shoes are ruined, and now this!" He took a deep breath and shook his head.  "So what celestial being did I piss off to deserve this?"

            "I'm not thrilled with the situation either!"

            "Like I care?"

            "You are impossible Spike Spiegel!" she finally shouted.  "I mean, good-looking or not, you're such a-"

            "What was that?" he cut in with a good deal of amusement alight in his eyes.  "You think I'm good-looking huh?  Well, you're not the first woman to say that, but really Faye, I am flattered.  You're not so bad yourself, when the light hits you just right," he commented in a smug, borderline arrogant tone that had infuriated her from the very beginning.

            "That's it!" she cried, slamming her hands down on random button and panels.  "Get me out of here!"

            Before Spike could stop her, the monitor switched on, and Margie's unhappy scowl seemed ten times worse as she stared at the pair.  A flicker of relief passed through her eyes when she realized who she was looking at.

            "Ha, I fixed it, I'm a genius," Faye gloated, leaning back in her seat with a smug little smile.

            "Spike, thank God we found you," Margie began.  "All hell broke loose at Headquarters."

            "What happened?  Where are you now?" Spike demanded, leaning closer to the screen.

            "Look behind you."

            Spike peered over his shoulder and was surprised to see the Red Dragon's flagship looming behind them.  The Swordfish's sensors hadn't even picked it up, and Spike realized that it must have been sabotaged from the beginning.

            "This was a set up," Spike sneered.  "What happened down there, Margie?"

            "Even now... I'm really not sure."

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            Crimson liquid trickled slowly down her neck, staining the white dress she'd worn to the party earlier that night.  Her eyes stung brutally, both from her own tears and the thick smoke that hung in the air.  Her skin felt as if it were literally burning from the numerous eyes upon her, mostly those disheveled men with sickening smiles and whiskey on their breath.  

            Most of the rooms in that hall had no doors, and the people staying in them had little in the way of modesty.  They smiled at her as she was dragged past, a knowing glint in their eyes that seemed to seal her fate even more than the merciless words of her captor.  They knew what would happen to her, and yet, not one of them flinched at the thought.  It was just business as usual in the lawless colony of Europa.  

            Broken glass bottles crunched beneath her heels on the floor, and under-aged runaways scurried like mice in the shadows, their glittering eyes and dirty faces reflecting the broken person they had become as they struggled to hide among the darkness without bringing more attention to themselves.  Here and there traces of blood smattered the steel walls and floors, and everywhere people shouted and screamed, the sounds echoing in her ears like the howling of demons.  It seemed perfectly suiting.  This was a hell for the self-condemned.

            After climbing several creaking stairways toward the top of the twisted metal structure, she was pulled into a larger room with a thick door and even what appeared to be a lock.  Must've been the luxury suite.

            Her shoved her into the corner, her frail body bouncing against the solid walls in a way that made her wince in pain.  He came closer to her and she squeezed her eyes shut against the sight of the devil towering over her.  

            "Open your eyes," he commanded, but she simply couldn't comply.  There was no anger or animosity visible in his expression, or his actions, but he drew back his foot and kicked at her stomach, as if in a rage.  She whimpered as his steel-toed boot met her ribs with crushing force, and he promptly backed away as she collapsed on her side in pain.

            "I have business to attend to," he said in his usual monotone voice.  "I'll be back for you soon."

            The door slid closed behind him, and it was then that she realized that, aside from the cloth that bound her wrists behind her back, she was unrestrained.  This was even more unsettling than if he had.  He knew that she wouldn't get very far if she did try to run.  For the time being, she was safer in here, she realized, than she would be out there.

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            Squall's scowl deepened as he stared at the disjointed metal scrap of a building through the windshield on the Ragnarok.  He had been there once before on a debt-collecting mission four years ago, and it had been anything but pleasant.

            Sighing to himself, he stepped out of his ship and made a mental note to strangle Jet when he got back to the Bebop.  Even though it wasn't a very big place, he knew there would be hundreds of people crammed inside, which would make it difficult to find Mao.

            (He can't be too hard to find...) Squall thought.  (A stiff businessman like himself would stick out like a sore thumb in a place life this.)

            He wasn't far off the mark, either.  Inside, Mao stumbled through the hallways, trembling, shaking, and trying hard not to look anywhere but forward as he clutched his brief case to his chest.  He hadn't wanted to meet here, but his business partner had insisted.

            He continued toward the upper floors, and Squall trailed behind him, relying on the jokes and other comments about the 'suit' to guide him in the right direction.  As the crowd began to thin out toward the top, he caught sight of Mao for himself, a few floors above him, and didn't hesitate to follow.

            Mao stopped at the end of the hall on the top floor, wiping the perspiration from his forehead with the back of his sleeve.  His dark eyes jumped from place to place, anxious and afraid of whatever stunt his partner might try to pull.  When a large, strong hand laid itself on his shoulder, he jumped two feet into the air.

            "Relax, Yenrai.  There's nothing to worry about as long as I'm here."

            Mao spun around and nodded to the black haired man in front of him who was smirking in satisfaction that his guest was thoroughly intimidated.  "Of course, Mr. Volaju.  If we may hurry things along, I have another appointment to keep."

            "Of course," Volaju replied, taking the older man by the arm and leading him down the hall.  "This way.  You wouldn't want those other people to see the kind of money you have, would you?"

            "No, no of course not."

            "Good, step right in here," at this he was shoved into a mostly empty room with a small cot against one wall, a table with a Chinese Checkers board resting on top, and... a woman cowering in the corner?  His eyes widened slightly at this, but he had no time to pay attention to her as Vincent guided him to the table and pushed him down in the single chair next to it.  Vincent picked up one of the marbles and rolled it in his fingers.  "This is the virus, just like you asked for."

            "Are... Are they safe to touch?" Mao wondered aloud.

            "They're only dangerous when broken open."

            "Good, good... Well, I have all the money here, just like we agreed."

            Vincent took the brief case from him before opening it on the ground and shuffling through the bills.  "Seems genuine," he remarked briefly before taking out a case of his own and placing the tiny blue marbles into the small circular indentions inside it.  "You have a trade, Mr. Yenrai."

            Mao relaxed visibly with a relieved chuckle.  "Great.  We'll have to do business together again."

            Vincent helped the man up and handed him the case.  "I don't think they'll be a next time."

            Within the next instant, Mao was lying crumpled on the floor, Vincent's knife protruding from his forehead.  Rinoa, who had seen the whole thing while curled up silently in the corner, let out a muffled sob as blood pooled on the floor, growing steadily until it was touching the toe of her high heels.

            Vincent turned to her with a cruel little smile.  "The world is cruel and cold.  It has so little to offer.  We wander across the worlds, not quite living, and not quite dead... life is nothing more that a short purgatory."  He laid an icy hand upon her wet cheek.  "I'll end your suffering soon enough."

            The door slid open, and a loud 'click' followed shortly after.  Vincent turned around to greet his guest, who was studying the lifeless body on the floor before his eyes rose to meet with Vincent's own soulless windows.  If Vincent was surprised, he didn't show it in the least.  His uninvited companion, however, couldn't stop his eyes from widening in shock.

            "It's been such a long time," Vincent murmured, seeming completely unconcerned about the gun aimed in his direction.  The gunman said nothing, but his finger tightened on the trigger.  "What, no hello for me?  It was not too long ago you and I were working for the same team."

            "You and I were never on the same team.  It was all a lie."

            "Yes, and you were so easily fooled.  You all were.  You, Fujin, Seifer, Electra..." Vincent grinned, a sight that seemed to be a sin in itself.  "And, of course, Ellone.  None of you ever thought to question..."

            "We should never have had to," came the response, in a voice trembling with anger.

            Vincent laughed.  "Do you still have the scars, Squall?  I see the one on your forehead from the katana is as clear as ever.  What about the bullet wounds you acquired from trying to save her?  None of you ever saw it coming.  You were all such fools."

            "We fought side by side... We were all like family..."

            "We never thought of you as equal.  Me, Vicious, Julia, Raijin... We all looked down on you and the others.  But especially you.  You were nothing more than a pawn in Edea's game.  Only fitting, I suppose.  Since you passed up the opportunity to take over when your father died, and Edea came to power... I guess if you think about it, it was really all your..."

            Vincent's voice was abruptly cut off as a shot rang out in the air and struck Vincent in the chest.  He collapsed to the floor, laughing even while Squall stood there seething with fury.

            "One last thing you should know..." Vincent coughed out.  "It was Vicious that shot Julia that day... Up until the very end... you were so blind..."

            Everything went deathly quite for a long moment, Squall unable to do anything but stare at the fallen man, and Rinoa unable to do anything but stare at Squall.  In all the times he had been angry with her, he had never scared her... until now.  In fact, he was so focused on Vincent, she didn't think he'd even seen her, and she was too terrified to call for him, no matter how much she wanted to.  Even if he did know she was there... would he turn his back on her again, and just leave her there to die?  She tore her eyes away from him and stared at the wall instead, shaking as an endless stream of tears fell from her eyes.

            The silence was shattered at he spit out a curse and kicked over the table next to him.  His eyes fell upon her then, and she flinched, wondering if she would feel the wrath of his anger as well.  He stepped closer to her before kneeling down in front of her while she tried to press herself back into the wall.  He gently placed a hand on her face, and she whimpered, prompting a softly muttured curse from his lips, though it was now directed at himself.

            "Rinoa?" he inquired gently, and waited until she finally met his gaze.  "Did he hurt you?"

            "A little," she choked out.

            "Did he... did he touch you?"

            She shook her head vigorously, unable to voice her words any longer.  Suddenly, she launched herself forward until she could wrap her arms tightly around him.  "Please don't leave me here," she whispered against his shoulder.

            She was surprised when his own arms came around her, albeit hesitantly, and he awkwardly patted her back in an attempt at comfort.  "I wouldn't," he replied simply, and she knew it was his own, strange way of apologizing for leaving her in the first place.

            No more words were exchanged, and as uncomfortable as Squall felt with a crying woman in his arms, he couldn't bring himself to pull away.  Despite the fact that they were in a room with two dead people, and in the middle of seething mass of lawless, moral-less people, for the moment, he could do nothing but sit there and hold her.

**

See you space cowboy...

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A/N:  Corny, corny... maybe a little too violent.  Oh well.  So, a little bit more of Squall's past is revealed here, and even more will be revealed in future chapters.  So... keep reading!

Next Session:  The calm after the storm leaves destruction in its wake, the aftermath of a disaster presenting a pile of ruin to be dealt with.  No matter how much you wish it were so, you can't take back what is done, and sometimes, no amount of apology will rectify what has been destroyed.  When security is gone, everything crumbles with it... Session 8: Balamb Shuffle  


	8. Session 8: Balamb Shuffle

A/N: While this chapter has a certain amount of drama, it's not as munch as usual. After the last two chapters, I need a bit of a break from it. Also, this chapter will have a few scenes that aren't Squinoa or Spaye- centric. There's a little in here with Jet, Ed, and Zell, because I feel I've over-looked them, and because I wanted to begin cultivate something of a father-daughter relationship with Jet and Ed. No worries, though, because this chapter is mostly Squinoa.  
  
Session 8: Balamb Shuffle  
  
Shards of broken glass glinted upon the marble floor, shining like stars that had fallen from above. Smatters of deep red liquid dotted the floor, a series of blood moons to complete the earthly sky, and bodies lay strew about, limp and lifeless, stretched out as if they'd gained the ability to fly. Spike crossed his arms over his chest and frowned, his usual mischievous eyes now darkly serious.  
  
"Believe it or not, we were lucky," Margie said. "If Shin hadn't taken charge in your absence, we might all be dead right now. It was all so sudden... It seemed that our thoughts just escaped us."  
  
"Where is Shin?"  
  
"In the infirmary. He took a couple bullets, but he's all right. Can't say that his brother Lin faired quite as well... He's missing."  
  
Spike nodded, watching with a distant expression as a crew of their own people worked to clear the mess. "So, who was it? Phoenix, Blue Snake, White Wolf?"  
  
"I don't know. No one has taken responsibility for the attack yet."  
  
"No one? That's not right. Any syndicate would've claimed responsibility for this immediately. And it doesn't make sense to attack us here. We've managed to keep decent relations with all the various syndicates; we don't have a rival. And if it was property or merchandise they wanted, they would have started there."  
  
While Spike rambled on in the background, Faye wandered away from him, slowly picking her way through the debris and maneuvering around the bodies. As one of them was picked up and carried away, her eye caught on something falling from his pocket. Moving carefully to the spot where the fallen enemy once lay, she picked up what appeared to be a card, and realized that it was exactly the same as the one she'd ripped off of Nida.  
  
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The first sensation to return was the pain. With every breath she drew and released, an unimaginable pain accompanied the exchange. Drowsily, she slid her hand down until she felt something thick and stiff around her mid section. Pushing the questions out of her mind, she stretched and allowed her eyes to flutter open.  
  
At first, she expected to see the baby blue walls of her room back home, decorated with posters of her favorite music groups and movie stars, and an autographed picture of her mother. The brief image that passed through her mind was one of cold steel walls, however, and she decided she must be asleep on the ship's infamous stiff yellow couch. So it was true? He had allowed her to come back? She turned on her side, and through the pain, she realized the couch felt a lot comfier than it had been before. Then, a familiar scent enticed her senses, and she sat up so suddenly, she had to bite back a scream.  
  
The general lack of possessions gave it away. The one time she'd been in Zell's room, it had been covered wall-to-wall with posters of bikini-clad women and rap artists. Edward's room had her trademark smiley face painted everywhere, and even Jet's room had something of a personal flair with all the ship repair manuals and his award-winning bonsai tree on a bookshelf. Something between panic and excitement burned in her stomach as she realized, with a start, that she had been sleeping in Squall Leonhart's bed.  
  
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Jet frowned in concentration, gently snipping off a limb from one of his bonsai trees with his miniature, palm-sized hedge clippers. "Can't it wait? We don't exactly have the money to be buying parts right now."  
  
Squall, who was leaned in the doorway of what had been deemed Jet's bonsai room, shook his head. "I wasn't the one who asked to go to Europa. I could've told you my ship wouldn't be safe there. It wasn't the first time that's happened to me. And anyway, I barely managed to make it back after they took off with most of my parts."  
  
"It's not in the budget."  
  
"Well, I can't go out and get more bounties until it's fixed."  
  
Jet growled and slammed his plastic fist on the table. "Dammit, if it isn't one thing it's another! I swear things were much easier before I let you people on board."  
  
"Jet! Edward's tummy goes rumble-rumble!" a voice called from somewhere down the hall. "Rumble, humble, mumble... Chicken, and duck- duck... hmm... Edward does not know what rhymes with duck-duck... Maybe what Jet said when he cut his bonsai? Bonsai, bok choy, duck-duck, fu-"  
  
"Edward!" Jet yelled, pushing past Squall and stomping into the living room where Ed was walking on her hands. "Get ready! We're going after parts for the ship!"  
  
Zell, who had been stretched out on the sofa, yawned and said, "Hey, count me in, too. If I keep lounging around the ship like this I'm gonna start to get chubby."  
  
"Start to?" Squall retorted as he started out of the room. "I'm in the shower."  
  
"Hey, wait a minute!" Jet argued. "We're going to get parts for your ship and you're just gonna stay here?"  
  
He stopped in mid-stride, silently frowning for a moment before he said, "Someone has to stay behind and watch after Rinoa. I guess... Since I'm sort of responsible for her being here in the first place..."  
  
Zell chuckled. "Aw, you're worried about her! You called her by her name and even let her sleep in your room."  
  
"Well," the slightly older man scratched at the back at the back of his neck. "Her ribs are busted, and the couch is uncomfortable... I... I don't wanna hear her bitching about it later."  
  
"Ah, so tending her wounds was just something you did to avoid her yelling at you for it later?" The blonde grinned. "And I guess it had nothing to do with that fact that you had to un-"  
  
"Leave it be, Zell," Jet warned. "And anyway, unless you want me to leave you behind, I suggest you quite your babbling and get ready. I'm heading to Balamb for the parts shop in a few minutes."  
  
Even as Jet said this he had a smile on his face. Shaking his head at the teasing from his comrades, Squall took the stairs into the cockpit and leaned against the window, staring at the calm blue waters of the island to pass time until the others left, and he could move through the ship without being laughed at.  
  
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(Everything was so calm and peaceful. I should've known it wouldn't last. But why? Why would one of my own people betray me? Faye said I didn't trust people on a personal level, but isn't this personal? Who else could be lying to me that's right under my nose?)  
  
"Still sulking, Spike?"  
  
"I'm not sulking. Just thinking."  
  
The yellow-clad woman that had come up behind him shrugged. "Same difference. It's just one incident. It doesn't mean-"  
  
"That it won't happen again? You're street smart Faye, you should know that this was only the beginning."  
  
"But that's not what's bothering you."  
  
He shrugged. "Doesn't matter."  
  
"Hmm, let's see..." she began in that taunting voice that grated his nerves. "Could it be because there was a traitor among your people for all this time and you never knew? Because you were betrayed by someone you trusted? Hurts, doesn't it?"  
  
(It's not the first time...)  
  
"Can it, Faye. I don't need your input."  
  
"Oh, I must have struck a nerve," Faye purred. "Guess this isn't the first time you've put your faith where it didn't belong? Obviously you didn't learned your lesson the last time."  
  
(I learned never to let someone get too close... They'll shoot you in the back. Or someone you love.)  
  
"Well, Spike, don't beat yourself up too much," she said, offering fake sympathy. "We all make mistakes... even if most of us don't make them twice."  
  
"You don't get it, do you?" he asked finally. "If there was one traitor there could be more. No, I never trusted anyone on a personal level, but I did try to trust my men as best as I could. I respected them if nothing else. I thought that might be enough to hold this organization together, but now that I know I'm wrong... now that this has happened, no one can be relied upon. Any sense of security is gone... Anyone can be the enemy." His eyes, now almost black with the utter seriousness with which he spoke, locked with her own. "Even you."  
  
Despite her best attempts to lock down her emotions, Faye quivered inside...  
  
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Market Street was packed from side to side with shoppers, merchants, and the ever annoying tourist that would wander, lost for the most part, from stall to stall, completely unaware that they were being ripped off. At the end of this mile-long stretch of road was a parts shop, and it was probably the emptiest shop of all of them in Balamb's infamous Plaza. Even the alleys and side streets that branched off from the main road were filled to bursting with people.  
  
"It's easy to get lost, here," Jet began at the entrance to the Plaza. "We have to make it to the end of the road, and we have to make it together. Don't wander off, you two!"  
  
Zell and Edward both nodded like obedient children before following him into the thick crowd. After pushing their way past a few stalls, Zell broke away from Jet and ran to one of them that was loaded with magazines.  
  
"Oh, man! I don't have this issue yet!" he exclaimed, picking up a video game magazine. "Or this one!" he added, snatching up a magazine with a scantily clad woman on the front.  
  
Scowling, Jet shoved his way to the excited blonde and grabbed him roughly by the shoulders. "Those aren't in the budget, either! Now come on! If you wander off again, I'm leaving you behind!"  
  
Jet turned around, expecting to see Edward at his side, but saw only a shifting mass of pedestrians rushing past him. The flame-haired child was nowhere to be seen.  
  
Down a side street, Edward rolled and tumbled her way between people's feet, following her nose toward the ramen stand further down. She came to an abrupt stop when, down another side street, something shiny caught her eye. Ambling down the road, she came to a stall near one of the side gates that was decorated with windmills.  
  
"Where has Edward seen those before?" the girl wondered aloud. Her musings were cut short when a large blue van busted through the gate and went swerving down the street, causing shoppers to run screaming. At the top of the tall antennae was a yellow smiley face, and Edward decided that it would look great on the antennae for the controls she built to the ship. Loping along on all fours, Edward caught up to the van quickly enough, and jumped onto the hood, lightly smacking the windshield as the driver swerved in a panic. At the same moment, a bullet fired from behind the van struck the back wheel, and the van became violently acquainted with the wall around the shopping center.  
  
Edward lightly bounced against the ground, after snatching the smiley face while she fell, before standing and doing cart wheels all the way to the back of the van where the back door had come open. The girl curiously peeked inside, and with a gasp of awe declared, "It's a woof-woof!"  
  
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It was slightly unnerving, though the fact that she was still wearing the same undergarments from before did ease her apprehension a little. Still, the only people on the ship capable of bandaging her up were men, and that meant that a man had undressed her while she was unconscious.  
  
(I don't think they'd... do anything. Jet's too much of a gentlemen, and Zell... Well, I can't be so sure with him. But Squall? Oh that would be embarrassing...)  
  
The over-sized black shirt she now wore was definitely his. It was the same one she had 'borrowed' before he'd taken her shopping for new clothes. But why would he bother to take care of her? She already knew he didn't care.  
  
She frowned to herself as the image of Squall gunning down her former captor flashed through her mind once more. Squall was almost always calm, never allowing his emotions to control his actions, or even his expression. And yet, he'd gotten so worked up the night before that he'd killed someone. His eyes had burned with uncontrollable rage, waves of anger seeming to pour off of him in warning of how dangerous and unstable he had become... It certainly made her think twice now about her teasing him.  
  
Then, of course, there was the undeniable curiosity about his past. She had a vague idea of what had happened, but she wanted to hear it, word for word, from his mouth. Still, she didn't think after seeing what happened to Vincent for picking at Squall's past, that she would ever dare to ask. With a cold, sinking feeling, Rinoa realized that she was now afraid of the same man that she'd become hopelessly attracted to.  
  
She tried to push the thought from her mind and drift back to sleep. If anything could ease her mind right now, the peacefulness of slumber would be it. Apparently the fates had other plans, however, because a major distraction came walking through the door in the next instant.  
  
She went completely still, as though she was asleep, and he didn't think to check and confirm it. He figured if she was awake, she'd have been up and talking by that point. Instead she just watched him silently, wondering what he was up to while he pulled a clean towel from his dresser before shedding his shirt. She smiled at the sight, happy that she could enjoy it without his attention on her, until she realized he was undoing his pants, too. A brief debate with her conscience followed, and grudgingly she gave a small 'ahem' to get his attention.  
  
Rinoa had never known him to be jumpy, but when he heard her behind him he nearly jumped two feet in the air. Squall turned around to look at her, confused for a short moment, before scratching at the back of his neck in what she recognized as a sign of his nervousness.  
  
"I, uh... thought you were sleeping."  
  
Fear and distrust made way for amusement, and she couldn't help but laugh. "Oh really? I thought you were just giving me a show."  
  
In mock anger, he tossed his shirt at her so that it landed on her head, and she laughed hard until it was broken by a small yelp of pain at the stabbing sensation in her ribs. As she pulled the cloth from over her eyes, she saw him looking back at her, something that could be interpreted as concern to the untrained eye crossing his face. "You all right?"  
  
"If I am I certainly don't feel like it," she replied, her vision wandering away from his face against her will. "Oh my God! Were you hurt last night?" she demanded.  
  
"What? No, what would make you think..." his voice trailed off as he noticed where her line of vision was aimed. "Oh," he began, his voice unusually soft. He gently touched the two scars on his side, the unpleasant memory attached to them drawing his mouth into a thin line. "These are from a long time ago," he replied gruffly, turning his back on her so that she couldn't see them anymore.  
  
"I... I'm sorry," she said quickly, the fear rushing back to her. "I didn't mean to make you angry!"  
  
"I'm not angry with you," he returned. "You weren't the one that..."  
  
Rinoa recalled Vincent's words before, and immediately understood. "Yes, I know, but... I didn't mean to bring up bad memories. You... obviously don't like that too much," she pointed out with a dry, nervous laugh.  
  
He turned back to her, one eyebrow arched as he studied the uneasy expression on her face. "What's wrong with you?"  
  
"N-nothing..."  
  
Sighing, he pulled on another shirt before stepping closer to her, his intentions of a shower now completely forgotten. The closer he got, the more desperate her eyes grew, begging him not to come any nearer. He ignored the pitiful look, not stopping until he was seated on the bed next to her. "You're... afraid of me?"  
  
She looked away, out of terror or shame she wasn't sure. Was it abnormal to feel this way? She wasn't sure of that, either. Spike had been the only man in her life that hadn't taken his anger out on her, even her father had...  
  
"Rinoa, look at me, please."  
  
She shook her head, unwilling to comply, but was surprised at the gentle tone of his voice. Her father, Vincent, the man in Callisto, and now Squall... they had all said that same phrase to her at some point, and yet, Squall was the only person who said it more as a plea, and not an order. Still, she couldn't bring herself to turn her head. How could he be any different than the others, after what he'd done?  
  
He sighed angrily and she flinched, expecting some sort of retribution. Instead he backed away from her, just a little, and ran a hand through his hair. "I guess saying I'm sorry isn't going to make things any better. I made a mistake, that's all I can say for myself. I told you I wouldn't leave you again... Not until I know you're safe at home, anyway. That's all the apology I can offer."  
  
"But Vincent, you..."  
  
His eyes widened. "Did he mean something to you?"  
  
She shook her head furiously. "No! But he... and then you..."  
  
"Oh... Rinoa... If you knew the things Vincent had done in the past, you would understand. Maybe it wasn't the right thing to do, but I guess I just... lost it."  
  
"And how do you know you won't again?"  
  
"You mean will I lose my temper with you?" he asked, and waited for her weak nod before he continued. "I already have once, and the worst I did was kick you off the ship, which I told you I wouldn't do again. "No matter how much you piss me off, I couldn't... wouldn't..."  
  
Frail arms wrapped around his shoulder from behind, squeezing him tightly, and he didn't bother to shrug them off. "I would never hurt you."  
  
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Jet sighed. "Somehow I get the feeling that if we follow the commotion, we'll find Ed."  
  
The two men traveled down the road at a leisurely pace, intuition telling them that Edward would be there, that there was no rush. A round of gunfire, however, disrupted the theory and sent them both into an all- out run against the crowd. After all, any sane person would be running away from the gunfire.  
  
As they approached, they notice three things: a tall man with an afro, the gun in his hand which was aimed at a dog, and the red-haired bean- pole on his arm with it's teeth sunk into his flesh.  
  
"Get off me, damn kid!" the man growl, giving his arm one good shake and causing the child to go slamming into the wall. Then next thing the man knew, he had Jet's gun pointed in his face.  
  
"What the hell do you think you're doing? You can't go hurting little kids like that!"  
  
"Whatever! Just back off and take your kid. I just want the dog."  
  
"No!" Edward wailed, rushing over to hug the small dog. "Jet-person, don't let him hurt the woof-woof!"  
  
"Ed, if it's his dog," Jet tried to reason.  
  
"But it's not! He's trying to steal the woof-woof!"  
  
"Hey, I saw this guy on Big Shot last night! He's a wanted dog- napper!" Zell exclaimed. "He's not worth much, but he is here..."  
  
"Settled, then." Jet hit the man in the head with but of his pistol, causing the man to crumple to the ground. "There now, Ed, the dog will be fine, let's go."  
  
Edward hugged the dog harder. "Edward wants to keep him!"  
  
"No way! We don't need another mouth to feed!"  
  
Ed's bottom lip poked out and trembled as her golden eyes glittered with tears. "B-but... Ed has always wanted a woof-woof of Ed's very own!"  
  
"Look, you've got your own room, I gave you a computer, you have food in your belly... most of the time, and a roof over your head. Isn't that enough?" He took Edwards sniffling to be a no. "Fine! But you better look after him!"  
  
Edward grinned and launched herself at Jet, latching onto his leg. "Papa!" she exclaimed, smiling as if she had just won the lottery. "Thank you, Papa!"  
  
"W-what?!" Jet demanded. "Ed, I'm not your..." his voice trailed off as she looked up at him with questioning eyes. Sighing, he just smiled. "Never mind, Ed."  
  
***  
  
See you space cowboy...  
  
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Next Session: Memories, the key to out past, the source of our happiness, or discontent. We wander the stars, lost to our minds, in search of closure for the unfinished pieces of our lives, the scattered shards of a puzzle we don't understand. In our darkest hours, when there is nowhere to run, they will hunt us like prey, these lost and shattered memories that torment our mind. Even with time, we cannot forget... Session 9: Ballad of Lost Memories 


	9. Session 9: Ballad of Lost Memories

A/N: Forgive me, things get in the way, but here I am now. Anyway, in this chapter, we further explore the memories of the four stars in our little story. Of course, due to Spike's current 'funk' and the fact that their pasts are completely unconnected, this chapter focuses a bit more on Faye's side of their story, for a little more in-depth analysis of her character. Spike's more personal journey down memory lane will probably take place next chapter, as I believe this session will be a two-part.

Disclaimer: I do not own the character Ein. This character belongs to the respective owners of Cowboy Bebop. The character Zone belongs to Square Enix.

Session 9: Ballad of Lost Memories

The hall seemed to stretch on forever, no matter how fast he ran, he couldn't seem to reach the end. A pair of footsteps sounded behind him, and he could hear someone call his name, asking him to wait, but he couldn't stop, not until he reached the thick, elaborately carved wooden doors that had appeared ahead of him.

The three of them had just stepped into the building having come back from a successful mission, when they saw Raijin awaiting their arrival in the lobby.

"Ellone is in trouble," he'd told them. "I don't know what she did, but Edea's got her up in the master's chambers, you know?"

He hadn't waited to hear anything more. He started for the elevator, Seifer and Fujin not far behind him. They were worried about her, too, afraid of what would happen. They were all close, after all, even if they weren't always like the best of friends.

They were family...

The double doors swung open with enough force that they bounced against the wall and shook. It was even worse than he had thought. The room was circular, and opposite the door, up a set of stairs, was Edea's throne. Since she had come into power, she had treated herself like a queen. Long scrolls with Asian lettering hung down the walls, and in the middle of the room was a circular area of the floor that was sunken in. Around the edge of this area, on either side of the throne, were two long, curved tables where the members of the inner circle sat, most of them with looks of confusion or disgust. In the gap between the tables, at the foot of Edea's stairway, his sister was on her knees, hands bound behind her back. At her sides stood two men, one with longish white hair, and the other with slightly shorter black hair. He'd seen this situation too many times before... it would be another case of trial and execution.

He squinted through the dim bluish light, seeking out the strange, cat-like eyes of the woman he served beneath. The sheer blue curtains surrounding her throne were pulled back, and he could see her cruel smile as she looked down upon him.

"Just in time," she said. "Your sister has done something unforgivable. You know what we must do."

He shook his head. "What exactly has she done? Whatever it is it isn't worth her death. She's under family protection, you know that."

"I cannot consider her family. Not after this."

"After what?!"

"Becoming impatient I see," she spoke with a tone of humor, yet he didn't find himself in the least bit amused. "I fear I can no longer trust her. I'm afraid she'll betray me. If she betrays me, she betrays the entire family, and everyone who depends on us. Will you allow that to happen?"

"I'll... I'll keep an eye on her," he offered. "You can't do this without valid reason, anyway! The council will never approve."

His eyes fell to the tables, where the people seated there had begun to murmur and whisper amongst themselves. He could only pick out a few words here and there, but it seemed that they were all in his favor. "So it's settled then?" he asked.

Edea closed her eyes and nodded her head once, as if in agreement. Vicious and Vincent, who had been looking toward their leader for her final decision turned back to face him. Vicious smiled, never taking his eyes off of the ocean-colored orbs that stared back at him... not even while he unsheathed his beloved katana, and in one smooth motion, slid it across Ellone's exposed throat.

"No!"

His eyes snapped open, staring up into the unfamiliar darkness. Shadows danced in the scarce light, and somewhere in the distance he heard the feverish clicking of fingers against a keyboard. Just a dream... He allowed his eyes to flutter shut once more when he realized that he was no longer there, watching his sister collapse on the floor.

Still, he couldn't stop the memory as it drifted through his mind. Everything that followed afterward, the pain, the betrayal... he shut his eyes tightly and allowed his rough fingers to trace the scar on his bicep. It was the only one Rinoa hadn't noticed, yet it was the one that hurt the most... the first one always hurts like hell...

The past two nights, the dream had been the same. After all, if there were any one particular moment in his life that he hated the most, that would be it. And of course, seeing Vincent again had triggered all the memories he had fought to suppress. Still, he had always managed to wake up before that terrible moment... up until tonight, he hadn't had to relive that nightmare again. Is this the way it would be? Would he keep having that dream until it reached further, until he felt once more the bullets tearing through his skin, or heard the screams of the others who were betrayed on that same night? He couldn't handle that... couldn't even handle this. He stood from the sofa and stumbled through the room as quietly as possible, knowing that Zell was upstairs in the cockpit taking part in his almost ritualistic midnight net diving.

At the doorway he paused, uncertain of where he was going. To the kitchen, for a drink of water? No, that wasn't what he wanted. His feet moved without his mind's consent, which was just as well because it had fallen back into near unconsciousness.

The door slid open, his hazy vision studying first the rectangle of light on the floor, distorted by his own silhouette, before moving to the faint outline of the bed against the wall. Part of him knew it was occupied, and wanted to be there for that very reason. The other part of his brain had forgotten all about the injured girl he'd given up his room for, and wanted only the comfort of his bed again. Either way, he moved forward and collapsed on the soft mattress.

His mind wasn't working well, but his heart was still crying out, still burning with pain from the memories that tormented him, that made him wish he never had a past. He wanted someone to hold onto, even if it was only for the night. He wanted comfort, and had unknowingly sought out the only person he knew could give him that. His arm snaked around her body, which was turned on its side with its back facing toward him, and buried his face in her hair, body trembling with an onslaught of emotions that he could no longer hide nor control. He hadn't felt this weak, this helpless since that moment...

Her eyes snapped open, suddenly being very aware of another presence beside her. She blinked against the darkness and turned her head just slightly, until she could just barely make out strands of brunette hair against her shoulder.

"Squall," she whispered, almost afraid to breath, but desperately needing to know if this was just a dream, or a very strange reality, "what are you doing?"

"I don't know," he replied softly, still lingering between the worlds of the waking and that of the dreaming.

"But... why are you here?"

"I can't stop seeing it..."

"Seeing what?"

"I always know how the dream will end, but I can never stop it, never make it change."

"You aren't making sense."

He tightened his hold on her, and she winced slightly at the dull pain in her side. She said nothing about it, and instead stroked his arm with a gentle brush of her fingertips. She felt the tension slip out of his body, and he said, "I couldn't save her. She's gone."

Rinoa felt a pang of jealously and anger, and had it not been for her soft spot for this man, she would've kicked him out then and there. Her own eyes filled with tears, even as he drifted off into a peaceful slumber. He didn't come for her. He came for a replacement. That much was obvious. Silently, two silver streams streaked down her face as she realized that at the moment, she must've been nothing more than a temporary escape as he mourned what had to be his lost lover. Just a replacement... for him, she would never be the real thing.

* * *

"_You don't have to go."_

_"Spike, we've been over this. I can't run away with you. Look, I'll be back soon. It's just a short trip, it won't be forever."_

_He sighed. "I know. I just... have this feeling... like something really bad will happen."_

_"I've never known you to be superstitious."_

_"This isn't superstition. Its intuition."_

_"Well, I promise you, nothing will go wrong. I've got to go. Vicious will be angry if I'm late."_

_Julia turned to him with one of her rare, perfect smiles, before leaning over and kissing his cheek in an even rarer open display of affection. With that she stepped out of the car and onto the sidewalk before heading down the street toward the parking lot where she would meet with Vicious. _

_He watched her go, her black coat swaying lightly in the wind and her golden curls flying out behind her in a picturesque moment of perfection. Julia... she was always perfect. Too perfect for him to ever be worthy of, and even more so for Vicious. Vicious could be with her freely, and yet, he took everything about the beautiful woman for granted. It was infuriating._

_He wasn't thinking as he drove along, following the path he knew Julia would take. His heart just seemed to call out for her, drawing him like a magnet to her. He pulled up around the corner of a building, discreetly watching as Julia walked through the abandoned parking lot toward the Black Lion's flagship. Vicious stood there, waiting for her at the entrance, and as soon as she was close to him, Vicious grabbed her up in a forceful kiss._

_Spike Spiegel was widely known for his temper, and man as a species was known for its possessiveness. Spike gritted his teeth, trying for a moment in vain to hold back the sudden burning need to tear Vicious limb from limb, before he got out of his car and ran for the pair._

_"Let go of her!" Spike growled, immediately pulling out the Jericho that served as his constant companion._

_Vicious rarely used his gun. He preferred the more traditional method of spilling your opponent's blood by blade. Yet today, he made an exception. He pulled his own gun, showing no surprise or remorse that he had to do so. In fact, the satisfied smirk on his face gave the impression that he had been waiting for it... that he knew it was coming._

_The events that unfolded after that moved so quickly that he didn't really have to time to understand it all until it was over. With a desperate cry, Julia launched herself in front of Spike, her last mistake... Vicious didn't hesitate to pull the trigger anyway. _

_The blood was hard to see through the black material of her clothes, yet he knew it was there. He knew the life would slowly drain out of her, and in that moment, it seemed that everything that was good and right in the world was swallowed by an infinite darkness. Everything... everything was gone._

_He was blind and deaf then, even as he called her name, he couldn't hear it. Didn't hear his own gunfire, or the shouts that followed... didn't even feel the bullet that lodged at the outer corner of his eye, cutting off the nerve endings and preventing him from ever seeing things normally again. _

_As he stumbled to the ground, dizzy and weak from loss of blood, he watched them carry Julia's lifeless body back to the ship through one eye, and as his own life faded, he couldn't help but think, "I knew something bad would happen today."_

Spike slowly opened his eyes to the blank expanse of ceiling above him. He hadn't been able to sleep all that night, troubles and memories plaguing his mind every time he started to drift off. Too many things had gone wrong lately, too many things had gone wrong in his life. He was the head of a major syndicate, anything he wanted could be his... yet, even he couldn't bring Julia back from the dead, even he, someone with so much power had been unable to stop the murder of so many of his own men, even he had yet to be able to complete the simple task of finding his sister. He chuckled to himself. Sometimes it just wasn't worth it to be Spike Spiegel.

Outside of his bedroom window, the sun slowly began to peak over the horizon, causing the shadows in his room to shift in a whirlwind of darkness. He watched it, the picture distorted, as though one eye was seeing his gray reality, and the other was staring at a false reflection made over in a rich coffee tint. Ever since she had left the world, he hadn't seen things the same, couldn't see the whole picture for the color distortion in his fake eye. It was as if he were watching a mismatched dream.

Then of course, there was Faye. Loud, whiny, nagging Faye... his lips twitched in a smile. He'd never let on, but they're constant arguing was a source of amusement to him. No one had dared to challenge him like that before, and it was a refreshing change of pace. Still... while it made him forget about Julia for a little while, his brain would always wander back to the blonde-haired goddess that controlled his mind. It didn't matter that he was beginning to think of her a little less as the days went on. Only one woman could ever have his heart...

* * *

"There you go, buddy," Jet patted the dog he had deemed 'Ein' on the head after fastening a collar around his neck. The ecstatic Welsh corgi wagged his tail and barked before trotting off to find Ed. Jet couldn't help but smile slightly at this. Ed and Ein had been nearly inseparable since he'd brought the two home from Balamb.

"You know, if I didn't know any better I'd say that dog's been getting on our computer late at night when we're asleep," Zell accused.

"Whatever gave you that idea?"

"When I turned the computer on this morning there were all these pictures of girl dogs and stuff."

Jet chuckled as he stood up and headed toward the kitchen. "I better have a talk with Ed. She's probably gotten the idea she's gonna breed a ship full of dogs."

"One dog is one too many," Squall grumbled from the doorway to the living room. Jet and Zell both frowned, and from somewhere down the hall Ein whined. Even the dog could sense the dark aura that had reared its ugly head once more.

"What's your problem, man?" Zell asked, pulling of pair of goggles down over his head as he prepared to search for new bounties.

"Did I say there was a problem?" Squall bit out glaring from one person to the other.

There was a moment of silence before Zell switched on the computer. "Bounties, we need new bounty heads, better get to work on that right away!"

"How do pancakes sound for breakfast, that okay with everyone?" Jet questioned, his voice overlapping with Zell's as they both scrambled desperately for a way out of the line of fire.

Squall's scowl deepened further, as he sat down in the chair with a low growl. Nothing was going right lately. First there was the dream, which was still vivid in his mind, and then that morning he awoke to find himself in his own room... with Rinoa. He strained to remember how he got there in the first place, and could only vaguely recall getting in to the bed next to her, and exchanging a few words. He hoped it went no further than that.

He woke up long before she did, and left as soon as he realized where he was. Maybe if he was lucky, she would think it all just a strange dream. Of course, his luck hadn't helped him much so far...

"Hey, I found something here!" Zell exclaimed. "He's not exactly worth a fortune, but it should be an easy catch."

Squall studied the new bounty, a dark haired man that couldn't have been much older than him. It was pocket change, really, but if it earned them enough for some food... "Where is he?"

"Deling City."

Squall was silent for a moment, his scowl deepening in thought, before he finally said, "Good, we drop the girl off while we're there."

"But the general hasn't offered up that reward yet," Zell reasoned.

"If he hasn't yet, he's not going to. It's about time we got her out of our hair anyway. Set a course for Deling City."

"Hey!" Zell protested. "You're... you're not really gonna make her go back, are you?"

"Of course I am. That was the plan, you know."

"Yeah, but I thought... I was hoping..."

"What, that I would change my mind?" Squall demanded.

Zell smiled sheepishly. "I guess so. Anyway, we'll be in Deling in an hour or so. Maybe you should go wake her up and tell her?"

"Let her sleep!" he barked in reply before sauntering off to the bathroom.

Once the coast was clear, Jet poked his head out from the kitchen and stared in the direction the grumpy bounty hunter had gone. "I've never seen him so pissed off before."

"Me neither. Mr. Cool and Calm never gets worked up like that. What do you think happened?"

Jet shrugged. "I don't know for sure, but the couch was empty when I woke up, and that was pretty early this morning. He's been missing up until now."

"Oh," Zell replied. "So those two... I see. Wow, what an awkward way to leave things off."

"It's none of our business. Just search some info on the bounty, all right? The longer we have to stay in Deling City going after this guy, the more awkward it will be for all of us."

* * *

Faye turned the card over in her hand, examining both sides of it before lifting the card in her other hand to her eyes for inspection. They were both exactly alike, not a single flaw to tell one from the other, though neither were originals. Sighing, she tucked them both away in her vest and stood from her bed, pacing around as she thought to herself.

(Was is SeeD that raided head quarters last night? Who ever it was seriously messed things up for me. Spike doesn't trust anyone now, especially me.)

She sighed again. Earlier that day Spike had had orders handed down to her for a drug run on Venus Avenue, but she hadn't actually seen him herself since the day before. She was actually beginning to miss her daily arguments with Mr. Fuzzy Head.

The phone rang, but she ignored it, lacking the motivation to talk with anyone at the moment. The answering machine picked up after the fifth ring, and some foreign voice sounded in her ears. "You got a run to make tonight. Head into the office to receive your details."

The caller said nothing more, just hung up, expecting her to be there even though he wasn't certain she was even home.

Swiping the key to her zip craft from the top of the dresser, Faye grabbed up her brown bomber jacket on the way out and slipped it over her shoulders to protect against the cold. The fluffy-edged collar gave off the scent of her favorite lavender spray, such a drastic change from the scent of smoke that had been embedded within the material two years ago. The sleeves came down over her hands, leaving only her fingertips exposed. The upper half of her slender frame was swallowed within the over-sized apparel and she pulled it tightly around her as she stepped up in the pilot seat of her Red Tail. Despite the three years and the hatred she felt over it, she could still remember clearly how she had acquired, or rather, inherited.

It had been a month since she had been unfrozen and Headmaster Cid and Doctor Kadowaki had decided that she would work off her debt as a SeeD. She was taking crash courses in combat and law, since she had started late, and her schedule was so hectic she didn't have room for anything but studying. Not that it mattered anyway. No one knew much about Faye, except that she had appeared in the infirmary one day and was getting special treatment from the doctor. Rumors had gone around that she was some kind of experiment, or that she had a disease, and so, no one wanted anything to do with Faye. At least not until _he_ arrived.

Whitney Haggus Maximoto... tall, blonde, handsome and too charming for any woman, especially one as shy as Faye was at the time, to resist. He had just come back from a long mission on Venus, and had immediately taken notice of her. All the men had, she could feel their stares upon her, but none were bold enough to approach the mysterious girl but this one man...

It had been like something out of a fairy tale. The handsome prince from some far away land had come and saved the princess from imprisonment with the evil witch's tower, assuming the Cid was the witch, and Garden was the tower, though he wasn't able to actually take her away from it. Still, he saved her from the shell she had started to build. They laughed, danced, talked, and enjoyed all the great things in life she could no longer remember having ever participated in. She fell for him quickly, swept up in the sense of normality he offered, caught in the tidal wave of caring and kindness that no other human being she'd come to know since being in Garden had really showed her.

"Oh, foolish Faye," she whispered to herself. "You should've known..."

For all his charm with the ladies, Whitney was even more charming with the Garden administration. From the gate-worker on the first floor, to the Headmaster on the third, everyone thought Whitney to be some kind of earth-bound saint. And Whitney used his sugarcoated influence to 'charm' the Garden out of millions of gil, a little out of time. The con might have worked out perfectly, were it not for the merging of the First National Bank of Ganymede with the Baysouth Bank of Balamb and several others into a chain of super banks known as the First Interplanetary Bank. When both of Whitney's accounts were entered into the new, singular system for the new chain, and a crosscheck had discovered several deposits of untraceable money, Balamb put two and two together. An informant of Whitney's had discovered the Garden's discovery, and alerted Whitney while he was away on mission. A week later, when Whitney was to be called back for questioning, the man had conveniently been killed in battle, after leaving a statement that all his assets were to be left to his beloved Faye Valentine.

"And debt is an asset, of course," she sneered, still lost in her thoughts.

Spike had been right before. Of course Faye had trust issues. Who was there to trust in this world anymore? A moment of weakness passed over the violet-haired woman, and brilliant emerald eyes clouded over with sudden pain. Who was there to trust, to love or care for anymore? A shrew, he'd once called her. She was someone cold and heartless, selfish and brutal, that's what everyone thought they knew. But why couldn't they see? It was not her that really carried those characteristics, but the rest of the world, those that hid beneath caring and compassionate façades. No one had ever wanted her for anything other than her body, money, or to use her as their scapegoat. That's how the world worked. They only wanted what they could use to their gain.

She landed the ship in the darkened garage of the Red Dragon building and leaned her elbows wearily against the control panel, head down.

"Or maybe I really am a terrible person, with nothing to offer but those things," she murmured to herself. "Maybe I'm not worth their love... I don't remember ever knowing love or kindness before..."

Alone in the darkness, head bowed with her mind tearing her own heart to shreds, Faye's moment was disturbed by the crackle of her craft's comm. system.

"Faye, I know the flight here doesn't take that long. You better hurry," Margie's voice warned her.

Sniffling, Faye wiped frantically at her eyes before swallowing the scorching lump that had grown in her throat. "I'll be right in, Margie," she replied, and to herself she whispered, "That's all you want me for... right?"

* * *

She wasn't surprised when she awoke the next morning to a cold and empty bed, but she was surprised at the mixed feelings she held. Under any of other circumstances, sleeping entangled in his warmth would have been a delightful experience, but knowing that he held her with thoughts of another racing through his mind... She wasn't sure she wanted to see his face again this morning.

Still, she decided she wouldn't laze around in bed for yet another day. Broken ribs or not, she was tired of staring at the same four walls. She stood from the bed and pulled a pair of jeans on that had been brought in along with some other clothes of hers. In disgust she ripped his shirt off that she had been wearing as well, and tossed it aside in favor of one of her own. She new that Squall had probably brought her clothes in before just for the sake of getting back his shirt, but she had clung to it anyway, whether to annoy him or because she liked having something of his she wasn't sure.

Now dressed more or less for a public appearance, she headed out into the common area and glanced around. It seemed mostly empty, though she could smell something delicious in the kitchen. Wandering around to the computer that was still set out on the coffee table, Rinoa took a seat in front of it and studied the screen. It was bounty information, obviously, but what really caught her eye was the picture.

"That's Zone!" Rinoa exclaimed to herself. Zell wandered in at that moment, and before he had a chance to speak, Rinoa practically leaped at him. "Zell! Are you guys planning on going after this guy?"

"Yeah, Squall's all ready gone out after him."

"No, I have to stop him!" she cried, rushing as much as she could in her condition to her room to collect her shoes. "I'll be back in a little while, don't worry."

"Rinoa, wait!" Zell called after her, but she was out of hearing range by now. He sighed to himself. "There's something you should know..."

* * *

To be continued...

* * *

A/N: So, I decided to make this session into two parts due to the length. This is all ready at fourteen pages, after all. The next chapter or two might not have a lot of Spike and Faye together stuff in it, but I do this for a reason. The two have a lot of growing and a lot of issues that they need to sort out, both on their own and together, so there will be times when they head in their own directions, such as this chapter and following one.

Next session: Of all the memories we hold, it seems only the ones that scar us live on in our thoughts. Trapped in an endless cycle, repeating the same mistakes as those we cursed the day before, until we learn the moral of our life story, it will never let us go. Seek freedom in the light of the epiphany, weary creature, for holding a memory too long is certain death. Session 10: Ballad of Lost Memories (Part 2)


End file.
